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BtLIOTYPE    PRINIING  CO.,    BOST 


Reminiscences 


of  the 


REV.  GEORGE  AEEEN 


OF  WORCESTER. 


With  a  Biographical  Sketch  and  Notes  by 
FRANKLIN  P.  RICE. 


WORCESTER,  MASS.: 

PUTNAM  AND  DA  VIS,  PUBLISHERS. 

1883. 


UBRARY_ 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
NlASSACHUSWt- 

AMHERST^SS, 


S'DREI    AND  FIFTY  COPIES. 


Copyright,  18S3, 

by 

FIIANKLIN  P.  RICE. 


TO 

THE  MEMBERS 

OF 

J!ri)f  SMorccstcr  cSocirtg  of  ^ntiquitg 

THIS  VOLUME  IS  DEDICATED, 
AS 

AN  INADEQUATE  MEMORIAL 
OF  ONE 

WHO  EVER  MANIFESTED  A  KINDLY  INTEREST  IN  THE 

METHODS  AND  OBJECl'S 

OF 

THE  SOCIETY. 


CSI 

CO 


CO 

o 


PREFACE. 

The  Reminiscences  contained  in  this  volume  have  been  selected 
from  the  gleanings  of  several  years'  intimate  and  cordial  inter- 
course with  Mr.  Allen.  The  occasional  noting  of  some  special 
memoranda  or  interesting  facts  received  from  him  resulted  in  the 
purpose,  some  time  since,  to  gather  materials  from  which  to  form, 
after  his  decease,  a  permanent  record  of  his  experiences  ;  and 
something  of  a  systematic  effort  was  pursued  to  this  end.  A  large 
mass  of  valuable  data  was  secured,  comprising  his  recollections  of 
distinguished  persons  and  remarkable  events,  together  with  many 
historical  facts  and  anecdotes  not  generally  known.  As  most  of 
these  were  fragmentary  and  disconnected,  and  as  Mr.  Allen  was 
reticent  about  matters  personal  to  himself,  some  difficulties  pre- 
cluded the  presentation  of  a  consecutive  narrative  of  his  life  ;  and 
it  has  been  thought  best  to  print  a  portion  of  the  materials  as  they 
were  received  from  him,  without  change  or  emendation,  excepting 
that  of  arrangement  and  classification. 

In  the  selection  of  the  matter,  references  to  living  persons  have, 
with  few  exceptions,  been  excluded,  otherwise  the  volume  could 
have  been  largely  extended.      The  purpose  of  the  notes   is  to 


6  PREFACE. 

answer  inquiries  naturally  suggested  to  the  mind  of  the  reader  by 
the  text,  rather  than  to  supply  full  information  concerning  the 
subject.  The  Biographical  Sketch  is  necessarily  incomplete  : 
materials  were  not  accessible,  and  but  a  mere  outline  has  been 
attempted. 

These  Reminiscences  were  freely  given  to  me  by  Mr.  Allen,  the 
condition  being  that  they  should  not  be  made  pubhc  during  his 

lifetime. 

Franklin  P.  Rice. 

IVorcesh-r^  Mass.,  September  S.  i88j. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH. 


Of  the  paternal  ancestry  of  the  Rev.  George  Allen, 
little  can  be  ascertanied  at  the  present  time  in 
addition  to  the  facts  that  his  grandfather,  James 
Allen,  was  a  respectable  citizen  of  Boston,  a  tailor 
by  trade,  and  that  he  married  as  his  second  wife, 
Mary,  the  only  sister  of  the  revolutionary  patriot, 
Samuel  Adams,  by  whom  he  had  several  children. 
Of  these  a  daughter  became  the  wife  of  the  Rev. 
Joseph  Avery,  minister  of  Holden  from  1772  to  1823. 
Two  sons,  Samuel  and  Joseph,  removed  to  Worces- 
ter about  the  year  1776.  Samuel  was  treasurer  of 
Worcester  County  from  1790  to  his  death  in  1830. 
He  was  a  man  universally  respected  for  his  Integrity 
and  virtues. 

Joseph  Allen,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  in  Boston,  September  13,  1749.  He 
was  a  pupil  of  the  celebrated  Master  Lovell  at  the 
Boston  Latin  School.     He  served  an  apprenticeship 


lO  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH. 

In  commercial  business,  and  about  the  year  1770, 
established  himself  in  trade  in  the  town  of  Leicester. 
In  the  difficulties  preceding  the  Revolution  he  was 
a  firm  patriot,  and  of  the  foremost  In  resisting  the 
oppressive  policy  of  the  British  Government.  He 
was  the  author  of  many  resolutions,  petitions  and 
addresses  put  forth  at  this  time.  In  1776,  soon 
after  the  re-organization  of  the  courts  of  the  Com- 
monwealth, he  was  appointed  Clerk  for  Worcester 
County,  and  continued  in  this  office  until  his  resigna- 
tion in  18 10.  He  served  one  term  In  Congress,  was 
for  three  years  a  member  of  the  Executive  Council, 
and  twice  a  Presidential  Elector.  He  took  a  deep  In- 
terest In  educational  matters,  was  one  of  the  found- 
ers of  Leicester  Academy,  and  long  treasurer  of  that 
corporation.  "His  mind  and  manners,"  said  one  of 
his  cotemporaries,  "were  alike  formed  on  the  best 
models.  In  addition  to  his  classical  attainments  he 
was  distinguished  for  that  politeness  and  graceful- 
ness of  deportment,  which  was  in  some  degree  pe- 
culiar to  the  men  of  his  generation.  Through  his 
whole  course,  strict  integrity,  unblemished  honor, 
and  undisouised  detestation  of  whatever  was  base 
and  unworthy,  were  prominent  traits  In  his  charac- 
ter.    A  native  generosity  of  disposition   prompted 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH.  I  I 

him  to  deeds  of  beneficence.  He  was  familiar  widi 
the  best  EngHsh  writers,  and  had  stored  his  mind 
with  their  beauties,  which  his  refined  and  discrim- 
inating taste  taught  him  to  appreciate  with  singular 
accuracy  and  apply  with  the  happiest  effect."  His 
death  occurred  on  the  2nd  of  September,  1827,  at 
the  age  of  78. 

The  Hon.  Joseph  Allen  was  twice  married,  and 
the  father  of  a  numerous  family.  His  second  wife, 
the  mother  of  most  of  his  children,  was  Dorothy 
Kingsbury  of  East  Hartford.  wShe  was  descended 
from  the  Wolcott  and  Pitkin  families,  long  celebrated 
in  the  public  service  of  Connecticut. 

George  Allen  was  born  in  Worcester  on  the  first 
day  of  February,  1792.  He  was  early  instructed  in 
the  rudiments  at  the  village  school,  learning  to  read 
and  write,  after  which  he  received  no  systematic 
training  for  several  years.  He  had,  however,  a  nat- 
ural taste  for  literature,  and  acquired  much  informa- 
tion by  reading  in  his  father's  library,  which  com- 
prised a  valuable  collection  of  the  works  of  the  best 
English  and  classical  authors.  With  most  of  these 
he  became  familiar,  and  he  could  to  the  end  of  his 
life  recall  with  wonderful  fidelity  the  results  of  this 
experience.  Opportunities  for  mental  culture  opened 


I  2  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH. 

to  him  in  another  way :  his  home  by  reason  of  his 
father's  official  position,  open  hospitahty  and  well 
known  scholarly  tastes,  was  the  resort  of  many  of 
the  distinguished  judges,  lawyers  and  men  of  learn- 
ing who  visited  the  town  to  attend  the  courts ;  and  in 
their  conversation,  manners  and  characteristics  he 
was  supplied  with  the  best  models  of  the  time. 

In  1807,  George,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  and  with 
less  than  the  usual  attainments  in  the  ordinary 
branches,  became  a  student  at  Leicester  Academy, 
then  under  the  able  direction  of  Zephaniah  Swift 
Moore.  Amonor  his  classmates  at  this  institution 
were  Gov.  John  Davis  and  Gen.  Nathan  Heard.  In 
1809,  after  thorough  preparation,  he  entered  Yale 
College,  and  graduated  in  the  class  of  18 13,  which 
included  Augustus  B.  Longstreet,  Elisha  Mitchell, 
Denison  Olmstead,  George  E.  Badger,  Elias  K. 
Kane,  Thomas  P.  Devereux  and  other  distinguished 
names.  Reminiscences  of  some  of  these  are  eiven 
in  another  part  of  this  volume. 

After  leavino-  college  Mr.  Allen  lived  for  a  time 
in  Hartford,  where  he  began  the  study  of  theology. 
The  year  18 15  he  passed  in  his  native  town.  About 
this  time  he  married  his  cousin  Eliza  Pitkin,  daughter 
of  Elisha  Pitkin  of  Enfield,  Conn.,  whom  he  survived 


BIOGRArillCAL  SKETCH.  1 3 

many  )ear.s.  Of  their  children,  one  only — George 
Allen,  Jr.,  for  many  years  master  of  the  Hancock 
School,  Boston, — reached  maturity. 

Mr.  Allen  resumed  the  study  of  his  profession 
with  the  Rev.  Dr.  Andrew  Yates  at  Union  College, 
Schenectady.  In  1816,  he  was  engaged  for  some 
months  in  teaching  school  at  Albany,  where  he  made 
the  acquaintance  of  Martin  Van  Buren,  Benjamin  F, 
Butler  and  other  prominent  persons.  He  was  li- 
censed to  preach  in  1817,  and  soon  entered  upon 
his  work  as  a  missionary  in  western  New  York.  His 
circuit  comprised  the  territory  then  known  as  the 
"Holland  Purchase." 

In  18 1 9,  Mr.  Allen  preached  at  Waterloo,  and  the 
succeeding  two  years  at  Aurora,  where  he  accepted 
a  call  to  settle  ;  but  after  several  examinations,  was 
rejected  by  the  council,  as  he  was  considered  un- 
sound on  some  minor  point  of  doctrine.  He  re- 
turned to  Albany,  and  soon  after  received  an  invita- 
tion from  the  church  in  Shrewsbury  to  become  the 
colleague  of  the  venerable  Rev.  Joseph  Sumner, 
D.  D.,  vv'hich  he  accepted.  Mr.  Allen  was  ordained 
in  Shrewsbury  on  the  19th  of  November,  1823,  and 
here  he  remained  seventeen  years,  becoming  pastor 
of  the  church  on  the  death  of  Dr.  Sumner  in  1825. 


14  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH. 

The  period  covered  by  Mr.  Allen's  pastorate  at 
Shrewsbury  was  the  most  active  and  useful  one  of 
his  life.  He  was  then  in  the  prime  of  manhood. 
His  occupation  and  surroundings  were  congenial  to 
his  tastes.  The  discharge  of  his  professional  duties 
consumed  but  a  portion  of  his  time,  and  he  was  af- 
forded abundant  leisure  for  study  and  improvement. 
From  his  early  years  Mr.  Allen  had  taken  a  deep 
interest  in  moral  and  political  reforms  ;  and  events 
now  took  place  which  called  his  peculiar  powers  into 
action.  A  few  years  after  his  return  to  Massachu- 
setts the  country  was  excited  by  the  murder  of  Wil- 
liam Morgan,  who,  it  was  alleged,  had  been  put  to 
death  by  Freemasons  for  disclosing  the  secrets  of 
their  order.  Mr.  Allen  had,  while  in  western  New 
York,  lived  near  the  scene  of  the  tragedy,  and  knew 
several  of  the  parties  concerned.  He  had,  however, 
other  and  better  reasons  for  opposing  the  organiza- 
tion ;  and  he  took  an  active  and  prominent  part  in 
the  agitation  which  for  some  years  commanded  pub- 
lic attention.  One  of  the  productions  of  his  pen  at 
this  time  was  brought  to  the  notice  of  John  Ouincy 
Adams,  and  secured  to  him  the  lifelong  friendship 
of  that  distinguished  statesman.  In  his  opposition 
to  Freemasonry  Mr.  Allen  was  actuated  by  no  ul- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH.  I  5 

terior  purpose,  as  was  the  case  with  poHticians  and 
others ;  and  he  entertained  to  the  end  of  his  hte  a 
behef  that  all  secret  societies  were  pernicious  in 
their  influences. 

Another  matter  of  deeper  import  demanded  con- 
sideration. Mr.  Allen  had  for  a  long  time  viewed 
with  concern  the  overreaching  policy  of  the  Slave- 
holders, and  the  pliant  acquiescence  of  the  North  in 
their  most  insolent  demands.  He  was  among  the 
few  who  from  the  first  comprehended  the  danger, 
and  prophesied  the  conflict  that  was  to  follow.  He 
saw  clearl)',  apart  from  the  moral  aspect,  that  slavery 
if  not  eradicated,  was  destined  to  break  up  the  Gov- 
ernment ;  and  he  bent  his  energies  to  the  task  of 
arousing  the  people  to  a  sense  of  their  peril.  He 
wielded  a  vigorous  pen,  and  was  master  of  a  clear, 
concise  and  forcible  style ;  and  during  the  thirty 
years  preceding  the  Rebellion  his  contributions  to 
the  public  press  in  behalf  of  the  great  principles  at 
issue  w'ould  fill  volumes.  He  was  also  the  author 
of  several  pamphlets  of  uncommon  merit  which  had 
wide  circulation,  and  efficiently  aided  the  cause  of 
freedom.  Most  of  his  writings  were  published 
anonymously,  for  he  had  a  dread  of  notoriety,  and 
never  wrote  for  effect,  or  for  the  purpose  of  drawing 


1 6  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH. 

attention  to  himself.  He  had  Httle  sympathy  with 
the  ultra  Abolitionists  and  their  sensational  methods ; 
and  allied  himself  with  the  practical  and  deter- 
mined workers  in  the  cause. 

In  the  year  1837,  niainly  through  the  efforts  of 
Mr.  Allen,  the  ministers  of  the  county  were  called 
to  meet  in  convention  to  express  their  sentiments 
on  the  subject  of  slavery.  The  meeting  was  held  in 
Worcester  on  the  7th  of  December,  nearly  all  de- 
nominations being  represented.  Mr.  Allen,  as  chair- 
man of  a  committee  of  the  convention,  reported  a 
"Declaration  of  Sentiments  on  American  Slavery," 
which  set  forth  in  a  clear  and  forcible  manner  the 
evils  of  the  system,  and  the  duties  of  the  clergy  in 
regard  to  it.  After  a  lengthy  debate,  action  was 
indefinite-ly  postponed ;  but  the  object  for  which  they 
had  assembled  was  saved  from  defeat  by  Mr.  Allen, 
who  secured,  by  an  appeal  of  great  earnestness  and 
power,  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  report  a 
modified  declaration  at  a  future  meeting.  The  con- 
vention re-assembled  on  the  i6th  of  January,  1838, 
and  the  amended  report  was  adopted  by  a  large 
majority.  This  result,  by  inducing  similar  action 
elsewhere,  was  of  inestimable  value  to  the  cause. 
The  proceedings  of  this  convention  and  Mr.  Allen's 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH.  I  7 

"Declaration,"  were  separately  printed,  and  did  good 
service  as  anti-slavery  tracts. 

While  devoting  so  much  time  and  effort  to  mat- 
ters of  general  concern,  Mr.  Allen  in  no  way  neglect- 
ed the  people  of  his  charge  ;  but  was  ever  faithful  in 
the  performance  of  his  duties  as  a  Christian  minister 
and  pastor  of  a  church.  His  relations  with  his  par- 
ish in  Shrewsbury  were  mainly  pleasant,  and  the 
time  passed  here  was  a  season  of  usefulness  to  others 
and  enjoyment  to  himself.  Difficulties  of  a  per- 
sonal nature  led  to  his  retirement,  and  in  1840  he 
was  dismissed  at  his  own  request.  Severe  domestic 
affliction  came  upon  him  at  this  time  ;  but  in  all  his 
troubles  he  was  sustained  by  a  firm  faith,  rare  pa- 
tience, and  that  unyielding  fortitude  for  which  he 
was  ever  distinguished. 

In  1843,  Mr.  Allen  accepted  the  position  of  chap- 
lain at  the  Slate  Lunatic  Hospital  in  Worcester,  and 
officiated  in  that  capacity,  with  some  intervals  of  rest, 
until  his  eightieth  birthday  in  1872.  In  the  mean- 
time his  interest  in  political  matters  continued  un- 
abated, and  he  worked  in  various  ways  to  further 
the  cause  of  freedom  until  its  great  ends  were  ac- 
complished. His  retiring  disposition  usually  kept 
him  in  the  background,  but  he  was  an  efficient  or- 


I  8  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH. 

ganlzer,  and  could  direct  and  control  the  efforts  of 
others.  The  value  of  his  counsel  was  acknowledged 
by  many  of  the  anti-slavery  leaders,  and  they  fre- 
quently relied  upon  his  advice.  Had  he  possessed 
ambition  in  any  degree  he  might  have  enrolled  his 
name  with  the  foremost ;  as  it  was,  others  received 
credit  for  much  that  orioinated  with  him.  His  broth- 
er,  the  Hon.  Charles  Allen, ■^''  who,  as  an  uncom- 
promising advocate  of  freedom,  may  justly  be  ranked 
with  Giddings,  Hale,  Chase,  Sumner  and  Wilson, 
was  much  indebted  to  him  for  wise  counsel,  words 
of  encouragement,  and  sustaining  aid  through  the 
great  political  movements  in  which  he  bore  so  con- 
spicuous a  part. 


*  Charles  Allen,  a  younger  brother  of  Rev.  George  Allen,  was 
born  in  Worcester,  August  9,  1797.  He  studied  law,  and  began 
practice  in  New  Braintree,  but  soon  returned  to  Worcester.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Legislature  for  several  years, 
serving  in  both  branches  ;  a  member  of  the  Northeastern  Boundary 
Commission  in  1842  ;  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  1842 
to  1844  ;  and  Member  of  Congress,  1849  to  1S53.  He  was  a  del- 
egate to  the  Whig  Convention  of  1848,  and  with  Henry  Wilson, 
repudiated  the  nomination  of  Zachary  Taylor.  On  the  death  of 
Chief  Justice  Shaw,  Judge  Allen  was  appointed  to  succeed  him, 
but  declined  the  honor.  He  was  Chief  Justice  of  the  Superior 
Court  from  1S59  to  1867.  He  died  in  Worcester  on  the  6th  of 
August,  1869.     Ill  health  restricted  his  powers  through  life. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH.  I  9 

Mr.  Allen  aided  in  the  formation  of  the  Free  Soil 
party,  acting  in  the  primary  meetings  and  conven- 
tions, and  writing  much  for  the  press.  He  was  the 
author  of  the  celebrated  resolution  of  1848,  which 
was  offered  at  a  meeting  held  in  Worcester  on  the 
2 1  St  of  June,  preliminary  to  the  state  convention  of 
those  opposed  to  the  nominations  of  Cass  and  Tay- 
lor.     It  was  in  the  following  words  : 

"Resolved,  That  Massachusetts  wears  no  chains,  and  spurns  all 
bribes  ;  that  Massachusetts  goes  now,  and  will  ever  go,  for  free  soil 
and  free  men,  for  free  lips  and  a  free  press,  for  a  free  land  and  a 
free  world." 

This  resolution  was  received  with  great  enthu- 
siasm, and  was  adopted  by  meetings  throughout  the 
state. 

In  other  matters  concerning  human  progress  Mr. 
Allen  was  not  less  active.  Of  these,  temperance 
early  engaged  his  attention.  At  the  time  he  entered 
the  ministry  spirituous  liquor  was  habitually  used 
at  church  gatherings,  religious  councils,  ordinations 
and  funerals.  He  at  once  saw  that  no  reform  was 
to  be  expected  among  the  people  so  long  as  their 
public  teachers  and  spiritual  guides  were  open  trans- 
gressors ;  and  he  totally  abandoned  the  use  of  in- 
toxicating drinks,  and  exerted  himself  among   the 


20  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH. 

members  of  his  profession  to  induce  like  action  on 
their  part.  He  strongly  discountenanced  the  scan- 
dalous practice  of  drinking  at  funerals,  and  the  cus- 
tom, in  the  light  of  a  growing  sentiment  in  favor  of 
temperance,  soon  died  out.  All  enterprises  of  a 
benevolent  character  he  aided  to  the  extent  of  his 
means  ;  and  was  ever  devisine  methods  for  the  re- 
lief  of  those  in  distress.  He  always  maintained  an 
active  interest  in  all  thinijs  relating-  to  the  conduct 
of  his  profession  ;  and  was  a  prominent  participant 
in  councils,  religious  conventions  and  assemblies  of 
like  character.  He  entered  to  some  extent  into 
doctrinal  discussion,  for  which  his  studies  and  habits 
of  mind  well  qualified  him  ;  and  he  published  some 
controversial  writings.  During  the  last  twenty  years 
of  his  life  he  devoted  much  time  to  the  elucidation 
of  certain  passages  in  Scripture;  but  failing  sight  and 
the  infirmities  of  age  prevented  the  accomplish- 
ment of  what  had  been  a  life  purpose. 

With  the  close  of  the  Rebellion,  Mr.  Allen  wit- 
nessed the  triumph  of  those  principles  for  which  he 
had,  during  so  many  years,  faithfully  labored.  His 
work  was  soon  finished.  The  remainder  of  his  life, 
after  the  final  relinquishment  of  his  active  duties, 
was  passed  in  the  quiet  enjoyment  of  a  serene  old 
age.      His  last  years  were  made  comfortable  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH.  2  I 

happy  by  the  faithful  care  of  a  devoted  niece,  who 
was  to  him  all  that  a  daughter  could  have  been. 

He  retained  an  interest  in  public  affairs  to  the 
end  ;  and,  until  within  a  year  or  two  of  his  death, 
frequently  attended  political  and  other  meetings. 
His  retentive  memory,  reaching  back  into  the  last 
century,  was  replete  with  reminiscence  of  men  and 
events  ;  and  his  recollections  of  the  past  and  state- 
ments of  fact  were  always  listened  to  with  the  closest 
attention.  His  form  bent  with  age,  his  almost  sight- 
less eyes,  his  neat  attire,  and  his  uniform  courtesy 
and  dignity  of  manner  commanded  the  respect  and 
veneration  of  all. 

On  the  23rd  of  January,  1882,  a  few  days  before 
his  ninetieth  birthday,  Mr.  Allen  met  with  a  severe 
accident  by  falling,  the  consequence  of  which  was  a 
fracture  of  the  thioh  bone.  It  was  at  first  thoug-ht 
that  this  would  result  fatally,  but  he  soon  recovered, 
and  after  confinement  for  a  few  months,  was  seen 
upon  the  streets  as  usual.  But  during  the  last  year, 
although  the  vigor  of  his  mind  was  not  seriously  im- 
paired, his  powers  gradually  failed,  and  after  a  brief 
and  painless  illness,  he  quietly  passed  away.  His 
death  occurred  on  the  31st  of  March,  1883,  at  the 
age  of  ninety-one  years  and  two  months. 


2  2  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH. 

The  funeral  was  held  at  the  Old  South  Church  on 
the  afternoon  of  Wednesday,  April  4th,  and  was  at- 
tended by  a  large  gathering,  which  included  many 
of  the  older  citizens  of  Worcester.  The  service 
was  simple  and  appropriate.  The  Scripture  se- 
lections were  read  by  the  Rev.  J.  F,  Lovering,  pas- 
tor of  the  church.  The  Rev.  C.  M.  Lamson  speak- 
ino-  for  the  local  ministers,  said  that  the  life  of  the 
deceased  had  taught  them  all  the  meaning  of  loyalty. 
He  was  a  clear-visioned  man ;  he  saw  the  truth 
steadily,  and  to  that  he  was  loyal.  He  was  as  a 
child  in  the  purity  of  his  life  ;  he  was  a  scholar,  a 
gentleman  and  a  Christian.  His  passing  away  from 
earth  was  simply  the  coronation  of  a  pure  life  ;  he 
did  not  die,  but  fell  asleep  with  his  God. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  S.  G.  Buckingham  of  Springfield, 
in  speaking  of  the  life  work  of  Mr.  Allen,  said  that 
he  was  born  in  the  last  century  ;  a  boy  of  seven  when 
Washington  died  ;  graduated  at  Yale  College  sev- 
enty years  ago,  and  under  the  presidency  of  Dr. 
Dwight ;  a  young  man  in  our  war  with  Great  Britain 
of  18 1 2  and  during  the  great  European  wars  of  the 
first  Napoleon  ;  living  through  the  whole  Unitarian 
controversy  in  this  state,  and  holding  very  definite 
though  quite  liberal  views,  as  they  were   then   re- 


BIOGRArHICAL  SKETCH.  23 

garded,  in  respect  to  it ;  \vitnessing  the  whole  anti- 
slavery  struggle  in  this  country,  and  having  an  im- 
portant influence  in  it,  living  to  see  that  struggle 
end  in  emancipation,  and  the  embittered  north  and 
south,  after  a  blood)-  civil  war,  united  again  in  their 
interests  and  fundamental  opinions  and  esteem. 
Having  seen  also  the  great  enterprise  of  modern 
missions  begun  and  successfully  carried  forward  till 
it  promises  the  complete  evangelization  of  the  world  ; 
and  seen  also  the  countless  philanthropic  enterprises 
of  the  present  generation,  and  their  promise  for  the 
future.  This  makes  a  long  life,  and  one  connected 
with  the  great  events  of  the  whole  century.  He 
was  a  scholar — a  rare  scholar,  and  in  many  depart- 
ments of  scholarship.  His  acquaintance  with  the 
ancient  Latin  and  Greek  classics  was  wide  and  exact, 
always  referring  to  them  and  quoting  them  with  de- 
light, while  his  familiarity  with  the  old  English  writers 
was  just  as  broad  and  delightful  to  him.  He  was  a 
rare  theologian,  acquainted  with  the  doctrines  held 
by  the  church  at  different  periods,  and  knowing  how 
they  had  been  modified  and  also  where  they  needed 
to  be  modified  still  more  to  accord  with  the  teach- 
ing of  the  Scriptures.  His  acquaintance  with  the 
Bible  and  delioht  in  it  were  marvellous.      His  fa- 


24  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH. 

miliarlty  with  the  New  Testament  in  the  original  was 
so  grreat  that  he  admitted  that  if  it  was  lost  he  could 
furnish  most  of  it  from  memory  in  the  Greek.  It 
was  his  "meditation  all  the  day,"  and  with  the  critical 
faculty  of  an  exegete  was  combined  the  believing 
and  loving  heart  of  a  saint.  He  was  a  great  lover 
of  books,  and  of  the  best  books.  Any  one  who  ever 
visited  him  in  his  own  library,  and  saw  how  he  could 
refer  to  any  volume,  and  tell  you  everything  in  it, 
when  his  sight  had  failed  him  and  he  could  not  dis- 
cern a  title  or  read  a  line,  can  only  understand  how 
much  this  meant.  He  was  a  great  antiquarian,  with 
broad  and  exact  knowledge  of  this  kind,  remarkably 
well  acquainted  with  New  England  history  and  fam- 
ilies, and  an  authority  with  his  brethren  in  the  min- 
istry as  to  all  ecclesiastical  principles  and  practices 
and  precedents.  He  could  write  poetry,  and  he  did 
write  prose,  with  a  clearness,  force  and  felicity  such 
as  only  rare  genius  and  high  culture  could  have  pro- 
duced. Great  was  he  as  a  scholar  in  his  nature  and 
acquisitions.  His  character  was  as  rare  as  his  in- 
tellectual qualities.  Noble,  generous,  truth-loving, 
perfectly  chivalrous  in  his  defence  of  truth,  and  in 
his  championship  of  the  rights  of  those  who  were 
oppressed  or  wronged,   he  always  seemed    like    a 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH.  25 

Christian  knight  bound  to  deHver  the  Holy  Sepul- 
chre from  the  hands  of  infidels.  His  position  on 
the  subject  of  slavery,  and  the  part  he  took  in  that 
long,  fierce  conflict,  and  that  very  sentence  of  his 
around  which  the  free  soil  party  of  the  north  crystal- 
lized, should  always  leave  him  on  a  pedestal  more 
exalted  and  enduring  than  granite.  We  once  asked 
him  how  he  came  by  that  spirit,  to  which  his  reply 
was,  "My  grandmother  was  the  sister  of  Old  Sam 
Adams,  that  sturdy  patriot,  and  that's  the  way,  I 
suppose  I  came  by  it."  But  this  was  not  all,  nor 
the  best  part  of  his  character,  for,  while  he  could  be 
the  reformer  when  necessary,  and  contend  as  stur- 
dily as  anybody  for  truth  and  justice,  in  domestic 
life  he  was  as  lovely  as  a  child,  while  in  social  inter- 
course, the  brightest,  most  genial,  generous  possible. 
Years  ago,  when  he  was  pastor  of  the  church  in 
Shrewsbury,  we  remember  to  have  thought  that 
parsonage  an  ideal  one.  Looking  off  from  that  hill- 
top, with  his  wife  and  children  about  him,  and  a  large 
and  intelligent  congregation  listening  to  him,  it 
seemed  as  if  such  influence  and  love  and  happiness 
ought  to  satisfy  any  mortal.  They  did  satisfy  him, 
so  long  as  he  was  permitted  to  enjoy  them.  But 
when  approaching  blindness  compelled  him  to  relin- 


2  6  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH. 

quish  his  parish,  when  bereavement  robbed  hnn  of 
his  wife  and  all  his  children,  he  was  still  the  same 
submissive,  lovable  and  loving  man  he  ever  had 
been.  He  was  put  into  the  furnace  again  and  again, 
and  each  time  it  was  hotter,  still  the  purifier  of  sil- 
ver was  always  watching  the  process,  and  he  only 
came  out  all  the  purer.  It  is  difficult,  my  hearers, 
for  you  to  realize  what  our  friend  was  in  this  com- 
munity forty  years  ago.  Since  then  he  has  sunk 
into  almost  complete  blindness,  and  the  three  score 
years,  and  even  four  score,  with  their  infirmities, 
long  since  came  to  him.  And  as  you  have  seen  his 
venerable  form  and  classic  face  upon  the  street,  and 
looked  upon  them  with  reverence  if  not  with  admira- 
tion, you  have  probably  never  realized  what  a  place 
he  once  filled  among  his  brethren  in  the  ministry  ; 
among  the  lawyers  of  this  city,  to  which  profession 
his  father  and  brother  belonged,  and  of  which  he 
almost  seemed  a  member ;  in  every  intellectual  and 
refined  circle  ;  and  not  less  among  the  humble  and 
the  sad,  where  his  master  would  have  been  found. 
But  he  has  finished  his  work,  and  ended  his  life  on 
earth  at  last.  We  are  glad  that  it  is  so.  "I  would 
not  live  always."  Like  David,  "having  served  his 
generation  by  the  will  of  God,  he  has  fallen  asleep, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH.  27 

and  is  now  to  be  laid  unto  his  fathers."  God's  saints 
never  die.  They  fall  asleep  in  Christ,  but  only  to 
live  again  and  live  to  serve  and  enjoy  him  eternally. 
We  are  not  pagans,  but  ours  is  a  Christian  faith 
and  a  Christian  hope,  and  in  this  faith  we  bury  our 
friends,  and  comfort  our  hearts  as  we  commit  them 
to  the  grave. 

''  Immortal  is  my  friend  I  know  ; — 
Not  summer  turf,  nor  winter's  snow, 
Nor  depth  of  earth,  could  turn  to  nought 
--So  much  of  life  and  love  and  thought." 

The  Rev.  W.  A.  Houghton  of  Berlin,  in  his  re- 
marks spoke  of  his  early  acquaintance  with  Mr. 
Allen,  and  of  the  influence  his  Christian  life  had  in 
shaping  his  own  future  course.  He  referred  to  Mr. 
Allen's  power  in  theological  discussions,  of  his  love 
of  right  and  justice,  alluding  in  this  connection  to 
his  influence  in  changing  public  sentiment  on  the 
slavery  question.  His  brother,  Charles  Allen,  was 
a  member  of  Congress,  and  when  other  true  and 
tried  men  faltered  in  their  strua-oles  with  the  slave 
power,  he  remained  firm.  These  brothers  were  as 
one  in  the  fight  for  the  right,  and  their  influence 
was  great.  He  spoke  of  Mr.  Allen's  friendships, 
and  of  the  charms  of  his  conversation,  calling  him 
in  the  latter  regard,  "The  American  Coleridge." 


28  „         BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH. 

Prayer  was  offered  by  the  Rev.  G.  W.  Phillips, 
and  after  singing  by  the  choir  of  the  favorite  hymn 
of  the  deceased,  "I'll  praise  my  Maker  with  my 
breath,"  the  benediction  was  pronounced.  The  re- 
mains were  taken  to  Shrewsbury  for  interment. 

On  the  Sunday  following  the  funeral,  a  memorial 
sermon  was  preached  at  the  Old  South  Church  by 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Lovering,  in  which  he  described  the 
character  and  some  of  the  personal  traits  of  Mr. 
Allen,  and  gave  a  feeling  account  of  his  last  hours. 


The  personal  characteristics  of  the  Rev.  George 
Allen  formed  a  rare  combination.  His  intellectual 
qualities  were  of  a  high  order.  In  scholarship  his 
attainments  were  thorough  ;  and  his  performances 
were  marked  by  an  exactness  in  thought  and  lan- 
guage seldom  exhibited  even  among  the  best  writers. 
His  power  of  expression  was  wonderful.  In  literary 
matters  his  taste  was  discriminating  and  his  judg- 
ment sound.  His  memory  was  unusually  retentive, 
and  his  extensive  information  made  him  an  authority. 
In  conversation  his  powers  were  unexcelled.  He 
had  a  keen  appreciation  of  humor,  and  his  wit  was 


BIOGRxVnnCAL  SKETCH.  29 

at  once  refined  and  pungent.  His  social  qualities 
would  have  made  him  shine  in  any  company. 

He  was  a  man  of  individuality,  with  well  defined 
views  of  his  own  on  every  subject  that  merited  his 
consideration  ;  and,  although  of  a  diffident  disposi- 
tion, he  never  hesitated  to  give  expression  to  his 
opinions  whenever  he  felt  that  duty  required  it.  He 
was  a  born  democrat,  and  manifested  his  predilec- 
tions in  an  unmistakable  manner.  In  religion  he 
was  extremely  liberal  for  one  who  professed  the  Or- 
thodox creed  ;  and  in  the  interpretation  of  the  es- 
sential points  in  Scripture  he  differed  widely  with 
the  majority  of  his  clerical  brethren.  He  was  tena- 
cious of  his  opinions,  but  he  could  be  convinced  of 
error,  and  was  free  to  make  acknowledgment. 

Morally,  his  character  was  upright  and  pure.  He 
had  a  clear  perception  of  right  and  wrong.  In  his 
adherence  to  a  principle  he  was  persevering  and 
unyielding,  and  he  never  compromised  with  evil  in 
any  form.  His  preaching  and  practice  were  con- 
sistent in  every  respect. 

In  his  intercourse  with  others  he  was  kind  and 
courteous,  and  in  his  friendships,  firm.  He  was 
generous  and  kind-hearted.  He  was  refined  in  his 
tastes  and  manners,  and  in  all  his  habits,  a  true  gen- 
tleman. 


30  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH. 

But  there  were  some  elements  of  harshness  in  his 
nature,  of  which  combativeness  was  the  most  for- 
midable. He  had  a  will  that  no  opposition  could 
move,  and  a  spirit  that  no  affliction  could  crush. 
His  treatment  of  some  of  his  opponents,  while  he 
could  not  be  accused  of  injustice,  was  severe  in  the 
extreme  ;  and  in  the  political  warfare  of  years  ago 
he  was  involved  in  personal  and  bitter  controversies 
with  those  who  carried  the  marks  of  his  powerful 
blows,  and  the  sting  of  his  keen  words  to  their 
graves.  He  was  at  times,  perhaps,  tdo  exacting  in 
his  requirements  of  those  with  whom  he  had  to  deal, 
and  too  uncharitable  in  his  characterization  of  their 
shortcomings.  On  some  occasions  in  his  life,  mercy 
should  have  tempered  his  stern  dispensation  of  jus- 
tice. But  all  this  was  of  times  gone  by,  and  with 
those  who  knew  him  in  his  latter  days  he  left  only 
the  recollection  of  a  genial  and  scholarly  old  man. 

He  lived  a  long  and  useful  life,  and  he  is  gone. 
We  shall  see  his  face  no  more.  But  the  memory 
of  his  good  works,  his  bright  example  and  noble 
character  will  live  with  us  forever. 


REMINISCENCES. 


REMINISCENCES. 


Early  Years. 

My  recollection  of  events  at  the  beginning  of  this 
century  is  very  clear.  At  that  time  the  population 
of  Worcester  numbered  about  two  thousand ;  and, 
as  is  the  case  in  all  small  towns,  the  inhabitants  were 
well  known  to  each  other.  I  can  recall  the  faces, 
forms  and  manners  of  most  of  the  persons  who  were 
prominent  in  the  town  at  that  day.  The  first  public 
event  of  which  I  took  notice,  was  the  occasion  of  the 
funeral  honors  to  Washington,  on  the  2 2d  of  Febru- 
ary, 1800.  Another  incident  deeply  impressed  on 
my  mind,  was  the  raising  of  the  bell  in  the  steeple 
of  the  Old  South  Church,  at  which  I  assisted  by 
tugging  at  the  rope  with  a  number  of  my  playmates. 


34  REMINISCENCES. 

I  was  born  in  a  house  that  stood  on  what  Is  now 
the  north  corner  of  Main  and  School  Streets.  This 
place  my  father  sold  in  1799  to  David  Curtis,*  and 
moved  to  the  estate  between  Elm  and  Pearl  Streets, 
— the  present  location  of  Butman  Row — which  he 
occupied  until  his  death  in  1827.  This  is  the  home 
with  which  I  am  most  familiar. 

At  an  early  age  I  was  sent  to  the  village  school 
kept  by  Eunice  Day,  for  forty  years  the  schoolma'am 
of  the  town.  Here  I  learned  to  read  and  write.  My 
education  in  the  common  branches  did  not  advance 
further  for  some  years.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  I  knew 
nothing  of  grammar  or  geography,  and  but  a  little 
arithmetic  which  my  uncle  Samuel  f  had  taught  me. 
I  had,  however,  acquired  a  stock  of  general  infor- 
mation by  reading,  for  I  was  from  the  first  a  great 
lover  of  books.  My  father  possessed  a  large  col- 
lection for  those  days,  and  from  it  I  gleaned  a  deal 
of  knowledge  that  has  proved  of  lasting  benefit  to 
me. 


*  David  Curtis  was  grandfather  of  George  William  Curtis. 
t  Samuel  Allen,  the  County  Treasurer. 


REMINISCENCES.  35 

The  reason  for  this  seeming  neglect  of  my  edu- 
cation was  the  wretched  condition  of  the  schools  ; 
and  my  father  waited  from  year  to  year  in  expecta- 
tion of  a  change  for  the  better,  toward  which  he  gave 
his  best  efibrts.  Finally,  in  1807,  I  was  sent  to 
Leicester  Academy. 

As  a  child  I  took  great  interest  in  public  affairs, 
and  was  an  attentive  listener  to  the  discussions  of 
my  elders  upon  these  matters.  The  political  fever 
ran  hii^h  at  that  time,  and  the  feelincr  between  the 
two  parties  was  very  bitter.  I  remember  the  intense 
excitement  following  the  duel  of  Hamilton  and  Burr. 
It  made  a  deep  impression  on  my  mind.  The  cam- 
paigns of  Napoleon  and  other  movements  in  Europe 
I  watched  with  a  keen  interest.  I  well  remember 
when  the^news  of  the  battle  of  Trafalgar  and  the 
death  of  Nelson  was  received. 

Among  my  playmates  during  my  boyhood,  was 
Thomas  Gardner  Mower,  since  Surgeon  General  of 
the   United  States  Army.      He  was  a  nephew   of 


36  REMINISCENCES. 

Ephraim  Mower  who  kept  the  tavern,  and  by  whom 
he  was  brought  up.  Another  playmate  was  Adam 
Walker,  who  served  as  drummer  In  the  company 
enlisted  here  in  i8i  i  for  the  frontier  war.  He  par- 
ticipated in  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  and  was  after- 
wards included  in  Hull's  surrender  and  sent  to  Hal- 
ifax. He  published  a  book'^'  severely  criticising 
Hull's  conduct. 

Connecticut  Ancestry. 

I  am  connected  on  my  mother's  side  with  both 
the  Wolcott  and  Pitkin  families  of  Connecticut.  It 
is  said  that  these  families  and  their  connections 
have  supplied  to  that  state  thirty  governors  and 
twenty-nine  judges. 

My  wife  belonged  to  the  same  family.  Her  grand- 
father Pitkin  would  have  been  made  governor  of 
Connecticut,  had  not  his  wife  been  a  Methodist. 
She  refused  to  attend  the  regular  form  of  worship. 


*  "Journal  of  Two  Campaigns  of  the  Fourth  Regiment  of  United 
States  Infantry,  in  the  Michigan  and  Indiana  Territories,  in  iSii- 
12.     By  Adam  Walker.     Keene,  N.  H.,  1816."      i2mo,  pp.  143. 


REMINISCENCES.  37 

and  went  to  meetino-s  of  her  own  denomination.  A 
prominent  man  used  his  influence  against  Air.  Pit- 
kin, and  defeated  him  with  the  argument  that  it  was 
not  wise  to  encourage  the  Separatists,  notwithstand- 
ing that  Pitkin  himseH^  attended  the  estabhshed 
church. 

Samuel  Adams. 

I  was  in  Boston  the  year  before  Samuel  Adams 
died.  My  father,  who  was  unable  to  visit  him  at 
this  time,  urged  me  to  go  to  his  house  and  make 
myself  known  to  him.  My  natural  bashfulness  re- 
strained me,  and  I  lost,"-  to  my  lasting  regret,  the 
only  opportunity  of  seeing  and  conversing  with  my 
distinguished  relative. 

Adams  left  his  papers  arranged  in  good  order, 
but  after  his  death  they  were  scattered.  Samuel 
Adams  Wells  collected  all  that  could  be  found,  at 
great  expense  of  money  and  effort,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  writing  the  life  of  his  grandfather.  These 
papers  comprised  public  documents,  letters  from 
many  of  the  prominent  men  of  the  time,  and  thou- 


38  REMINISCENCES. 

sands  of  pages  of  Adams's  own  writing :  an  inval- 
uable mass  of  historical  material.  Mr.  Wells  did 
not  live  to  accomplish  his  purpose.  A  short  time 
before  his  death  he  sent  for  me,  offered  me  the 
papers,  and  requested  me  to  undertake  the  work. 
This  was  during  my  pastorate  at  Shrewsbury,  and 
uncertain  health,  with  other  obstacles,  forced  me  to 
decline  what  would  have  been  a  congenial  task. 

On  my  refusal,  Mr.  Wells  would  have  given  the 
papers  to  Edward  Everett,  but  for  my  remonstrance. 
I  did  not  consider  Everett  a  suitable  person  to  write 
the  life  of  Samuel  Adams.  Finally,  the  papers  were 
committed  to  the  care  of  George  Bancroft,  who  en- 
gaged to  carry  out  the  wishes  of  Mr.  Wells,  and 
prepare  the  matter  for  publication.  Mr.  Bancroft 
made  use  of  the  papers  in  compiling  his  History 
of  the  United  States,  but  was  unable  to  fulfill  his 
promise  to  write  the  life.  After  many  years  of  de- 
lay, the  work  was  accomplished  by  William  V.  Wells, 
who  undertook  it  with  misofivines.  The  result,  how- 
ever,  was  a  creditable  piece  of  biography. 

My  father  was  present  on  the  occasion  noted  in 


REMINISCENCES.  39 

the  Life  of  Adams,  when  he  characterized  Franklin 
in  a  singular  manner.  Some  time  after  the  "Tea 
Party,"  Mr.  Bromfield,  a  prominent  merchant  of 
Boston,  called  upon  Mr.  Adams  at  his  house  to 
inquire  for  news  from  abroad.  Adams  read  to  him 
a  letter  just  received  from  Franklin,  in  which  he  ad- 
vised the  Bostonians  to  pay  for  the  tea  destroyed. 
Adams  said,  "Dr.  Franklin  may  be  a  great  philos- 
opher, but  he  is  a  bungling  politician."  This  opin- 
ion was  not  justified  by  Franklin's  subsequent  career. 
I  eave  this  anecdote  to  Wells. 


S' 


In  1776, 

when  my  father  became  Clerk  of  the  Courts  for  this 
comity,  the  office  was  worth  not  more  than  twenty 
pounds  a  year.  When  he  resigned  it  in  1810,  it  had 
become  very  lucrative.  While  in  office  he  enter- 
tained many  of  the  judges  and  distinguished  lawyers 
who  had  business  before  the  courts. 

Francis  Dana, 

the  Chief  Justice,  Theophilus  Parsons  and  Artemas 
Ward  made  my  father's  house  their  home  during  the 


40  REMINISCENCES. 

court  sessions.  Dana^  was  over-dignified  in  man- 
ner, and  very  aristocratic  in  feeling.  I  remember 
his  taking  me  in  his  arms  on  one  occasion  when  I 
was  quite  young,  and  presenting  me  with  a  silver 
dollar — the  first  I  ever  possessed.  My  recollection 
of  his  son,  Richard  Henry  Dana,  the  poet,  is  not  so 
pleasant :  he  once  ruined  a  fine  beaver  hat  of  mine 
by  sitting  on  it,  for  which  he  offered  no  apology. 
I  told  him  that  he  was  no  gentleman. 

Theophilus  Parsons. 

Another  familiar  figure  in  my  mind  is  that  of 
Theophilus  Parsons. f  He  was  a  coarse  looking 
man,  rather  untidy  in  his  dress.  In  his  lifetime  he 
was  considered  the  most  learned  lawyer  in  the  coun- 
try. His  knowledge  of  the  law  was  truly  wonderful, 
yet  he  was  credited  more  than  was  due.     In  every 


*  Francis  Dana  was  born  in  1743,  and  died  in  181 1.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Continental  Congress  ;  and  in  1780  was  appoint- 
ed Minister  to  Russia,  where  he  remained  three  years.  He  was 
Chief  Justice  of  Massachusetts  from  1792  to  1806. 

fTheophihis  Parsons  was  born  in  1750,  and  died  in  1813.  He 
succeeded  Dana  as  Chief  Justice  in  1806. 


REMINISCENCES.  4 1 

case  tried  before  him  he  seemed  famihar  with  all  the 
points,  and  would  refer  the  lawyers  to  authorities 
without  number,  giving  the  volume,  page,  and  place 
on  the  page,  to  their  great  astonishment.  But  after 
my  father's  death,  there  were  found  among  his  pa- 
pers, letters  from  Parsons  requesting  synopses  of 
the  cases  about  to  be  tried  before  him.  This,  it 
appeared,  had  been  his  custom  with  all  the  clerks  in 
the  state  ;  and  he  was  thereby  enabled  to  prepare 
himself,  as  a  student  for  his  recitation. 

Parsons  has,  I  think,  been  much  overrated.  He 
belong^ed  to  a  class — the  Unitarians — whose  aim  it 
was  to  magnify  to  the  utmost  all  of  its  adherents. 

Artemas  Ward. 

General  Ward*  of  Shrewsbury  frequently  visited 
my  father.  He  had  no  command  of  language — was 
hesitating  in  his  speech.     The  address  to  the  insur- 


*  Artemas  Ward  was  born  in  1727  and  died  in  1800.  He  was 
first  Major  General  of  the  Revolutionary  Army,  but  soon  retired. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  sixteen  years,  and  for  four 
years  a  Representative  in  Congress. 


42  REMINISCENCES. 

gents  in  Worcester  during  Shays's  Rebellion,  which 
Lincoln  prints  in  his  "History"  as  having  been  made 
by  Ward,  is  purely  fictitious.  He  was  incapable  of 
such  an  effort.  Ward  was  a  man  of  incorruptible 
integrity.  Of  his  bravery  there  is  no  question,  al- 
though Washington  accused  him  of  cowardice  in 
leaving^  the  service  before  Boston. 

Benjamin  Stone,  the  first  preceptor  of  Leicester 
Academy,  gave  me  the  following  account  of  Ward's 
misunderstanding  with  Washington.  Soon  after  the 
establishment  of  the  Government  at  New  York, 
Ward,  then  a  member  of  Congress,  came  into  pos- 
session of  a  letter  written  by  Washington,  in  which 
the  offensive  charge  was  made  He  immediately 
proceeded  to  the  President's  house,  placed  the  paper 
before  him,  and  asked  him  if  he  was  the  author  of 
it.  Washinpfton  looked  at  the  letter  and  made  no 
reply.  Ward  said,  "I  should  think  that  the  man 
who  was  base  enough  to  write  that,  would  be  base 
enough  to  deny  it,"  and  abruptly  took  his  leave.* 


*  A  different  account  of  this  affair  will  be  found  in  Drake's  His- 
toric Fields  and  Mansions  of  Middlesex,  page  260. 


REMINISCENCES.  43 

General  Ward  was  a  graduate  of  Harvard  College, 
and  possessed  considerable  learning ;  but  he  often 
expressed  himself,  both  in  speaking  and  writing,  in 
an  uncouth  manner.  He  began  a  letter  to  the  Con- 
tinental Congress,  "Whereas  the  army  is  sca7it  oiit 
for  clothincr,"  etc. 


t>' 


Burges — Dexter. 

When  Theophilus  Parsons  came  to  the  bench, 
he  compelled  the  lawyers  in  their  arguments  before 
the  jury,  to  plead  according  to  the  evidence.  This, 
at  first,  caused  considerable  indignation  ;  and  Francis 
Blake  and  Tristam  Burges*  were  badly  worsted  in 
their  attempts  to  defy  the  Judge  in  his  own  court. 
I  heard  Burges  try  a  case  in  Worcester,  in  the  course 
of  which  he  received  an  effective  reproof  from  the 
Chief  Justice.     He  had  been  notorious  for  his  brow- 


*  Tristam  Burges  was  one  of  the  ablest  lawyers  of  his  time.  He 
was  born  in  1770,  and  died  in  1853.  He  became  Chief  Justice 
of  Rhode  Island  in  1815,  and  was  a  Member  of  Congress  from 
1825  to  1835.  His  encounter  with  John  Randolph  gained  for  him 
much  celebrity. 


44  REMINISCENCES. 

beating  of  judges  in  Rhode  Island,  and  his  encoun- 
ter with  Parsons  was,  doubtless,  a  wholesome  ex- 
perience. 

While  at  Leicester  Academy,  hearing  that  Samuel 
Dexter"^  was  engaged  in  a  trial,  I  walked  into  Wor- 
cester to  hear  him  ;  but  the  case  was  put  over  and 
the  opportunity  lost.     I  have  always  regretted  it. 

Isaiah  Thomas. 

I  knew  Isaiah  Thomas f  well,  and  when  I  was  in 
Worcester,  met  him  almost  daily.  He  had  the  man- 
ners and  appearance  of  a  gentleman — a  little  pomp- 
ous, and  very  neat  in  his  dress.  He  used  to  wear 
a  blue  broadcloth  cloak  lined  with  red,  which  was 
very  becoming.      Of  his  moral  character  it  can  be 


*  Samuel  Dexter  was  eminent  as  a  lawyer  and  statesman.  He 
was  a  Member  of  Congress,  United  States  Senator,  Secretary  of 
War,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  and  for  a  short  time,  Secretary  of 
State.     He  died  in  1816,  aged  55. 

t  Isaiah  Thomas  was  a  distinguished  patriot,  and  the  publisher 
of  the  Massachusetts  Spy.  He  was  the  founder  and  a  liberal  pa- 
tron of  the  American  Antiquarian  Society.  He  engaged  exten- 
sively in  the  publishing  of  books  in  Worcester  and  elsewhere. 
His  death  occurred  in  1831. 


REMINISCENCES.  45 

said  that  there  were  charges  against  him  other  than 
that  of  hcentiousness,  for  which  he  was  notorious. 

Of  the  engraved  portraits  of  Thomas,  the  old, 
square  copperplate  is  the  best  and  most  character- 
istic. I  found  this  plate*  in  a  mass  of  old  metal  in 
a  locksmith's  shop  in  Worcester,  about  the  year 
1840.  I  purchased  it  for  a  trifle,  and  after  some 
years,  presented  it  to  the  American  Antiquarian 
Society.  The  Masonic  portrait  and  the  one  en- 
graved for  the  History  of  Printing  are  weak,  without 
the  strength  of  character  that  he  really  possessed. 

It  has  been  stated  that  Thomas  was  assisted  in 
the  preparation  of  his  History  of  Printing  by  Dr. 
Samuel  Stearns.  I  do  not  think  this  is  true.  The 
person  who  afforded  the  most  assistance  was  Wil- 
liam Shelden,  an  Englishman,  and  author  of  a  little 
book  entitled,  "A  History  of  the  Heathen  Gods," 
which  was  published  by  Thomas. 


*This  is  the  identical  plate  engraved  for  Joseph  T.  Buckingham 
from  a  portrait  by  Henry  Williams.  It  was  first  published  in  the 
Polyanthos,  about  1813.  See  "Personal  Memoirs,"  etc.  of  Joseph 
T.  Buckingham,  vol.  i,  page  60. 


46  REMINISCENCES. 

Benjamin  Russell. 

Benjamin  Russell,*  publisher  of  the  Columbian 
Centinel,  was  an  apprentice  of  Isaiah  Thomas.  I 
saw  him  frequently  in  Worcester.  My  father  sug- 
gested the  name  "Centinel"  for  his  paper.  It  was 
first  published  as  the  Boston  Centinel,  and  after  a 
time  "Columbian"  substituted,  as  having  a  wider 
signification. 

Rev.  Aaron  Bancroft. 

The  Rev.  Aaron  Bancroft f  was  a  man  of  uncom- 
mon ability  and  strength  of  character.  Dignified  in 
his  manners,  he  seldom  indulged  in  pleasantry.  I 
remember,  however,  an  encounter  he  had  with  Sam- 
uel Brazer,  the  town  baker,  a  noted  wag  who  dealt 
his  blows  right  and  left  without  respect  to  persons. 
The  Doctor  had  the  misfortune,  while  on  a  journey. 


*  Colonel  Benjamin  Russell  was  a  prominent  journalist  and  poli- 
tician of  the  Federal  stripe.  He  was  24  years  a  Representative  of 
Boston  in  the  Legislature.     He  died  in  1845,  a^ged  84. 

t  Rev.  Aaron  Bancroft,  d.  d.,  was  pastor  of  the  second  (Unita- 
rian) church  in  Worcester,  from  1786  to  1839. 


REMINISCENCES.  47 

to  lose  his  saddle-bags  containing  his  linen  and 
some  sermons  ;  and  after  his  return  mentioned  the 
circumstance  to  Brazer,  who  quickly  replied,  "If 
your  shirts  needed  mending  as  much  as  your  ser- 
mons, it  was  a  small  loss  ! "  Sometime  after,  a 
heavy  timber  fell  upon  Brazer's  head,  and  he  ex- 
pressed surprise  that  he  had  escaped  with  his  life. 
"Why,"  said  Bancroft,  "you  had  the  advantage  of  a 
thick  skull ! " 

Dr.  Bancroft  had  a  large  family,  and  receiving  but 
a  small  salary,  carried  on  a  farm  in  addition  to  his 
pastoral  duties.  I  have  seen  him  working  in  the 
field  like  a  common  laborer. 

I  remember  the  day  George  Bancroft  was  born, 
and  I  was  in  church  when  he  was  brought  to  be 
christened  by  his  father.  Judge  Bangs  held  the  in- 
fant while  the  ceremony  was  performed.  George 
was  distinguished  for  his  attainments  at  an  early 
age.  When  six  years  old,  he  was,  on  one  occasion, 
called  by  his  father  to  settle  a  dispute  between  Judge 
Parsons  and  some  other  learned  person,  over  a  point 
in  Roman  history. 


48  REMINISCENCES. 

Timothy  Pickering. 

I  had,  at  Leicester,  a  brief  interview  with  Timothy 
Pickering.'^  I  was  introduced  to  him  by  my  sister, 
and  our  conversation  lasted  but  a  few  minutes,  while 
the  stage  in  which  they  were  passengers  was  wait- 
ing. His  countenance  was  of  the  Roman  cast,  and 
would  impress  any  one. 

Zephaniah  Swift  Moore. 

I  have  a  pleasant  recollection  of  Zephaniah  Swift 
Moore,  my  preceptor  at  Leicester  Academy.  As  a 
teacher  he  was  very  successful.  He  afterwards  be- 
came the  first  president  of  Amherst  College,  where 
he  died  suddenly  about  a  year  after  his  installation. 
He  was  a  man  of  powerful  frame. 

William  Eaton. 

I  met  Gen.  Eaton  f  in  Worcester  soon  after  his 


*  Timothy  Pickering  was  Postmaster  General,  Secretary  of  War, 
and  Secretary  of  State  under  Washington  and  Adams  ;  and  United 
States  Senator  from  Massachusetts,  1803-11.     He  died  in  1829. 

fGen.  William  Eaton,  distinguished  by  his  exploits  in  Tripoli, 


REMINISCENCES.  49 

return  from  the  Barbary  States.  The  portrait  pre- 
fixed to  his  Life  pubHshed  in  Brookfield  in  1813,  is 
an  excellent  likeness — his  sister  told  me  that  it  was 
the  only  true  one. 

It  is  a  singular  coincidence  that  Eaton  and  his 
biographer,  Prentiss,  were  in  their  younger  days 
strict  temperance  men,  yet  both  died  drunkards. 

At  Yale. 

I  entered  Yale  College  in  1809.  In  the  several 
classes,  during  the  four  years  I  remained  there,  were 
many  who  afterwards  became  distinguished  in  liter- 
ature, science  and  politics.  My  circle  of  acquaint- 
ance was  large — in  fact,  I  knew  nearly  every  one  in 
the  college. 

In  my  class 

were  George  E.  Badger,  eminent  as  a  statesman  and 
jurist ;  Augustus  B.  Longstreet,  author  of  "Georgia 


was  born  in  1764,  and  died  in  181 1.  Charles  Prentiss,  his  bi- 
ographer, was  a  writer  and  journahst  of  some  note.  He  died  in 
1820,  at  the  age  of  46. 


50  REMINISCENCES. 

Scenes";  Elias  Kent  Kane,  the  first  senator  from 
Illinois  ;  Alexander  M.  Fisher,  naturalist,  who  was 
drowned  off  the  coast  of  Ireland  in  1822  ;  Thomas 
P.  Devereux,  judge  ;  Denison  Olmsted,  scientist ; 
and  others  of  lesser  note.  Of  other  classes,  I  es- 
pecially remember  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse,  Francis 
Granger,  Roger  Sherman  Baldwin,  Joshua  Leavitt, 
Samuel  S.  Phelps,  John  Davis,  Joseph  E.  Worces- 
ter, James  G.  Percival,  John  M.  Clayton  and  Charles 
J.  Lanman.  I  was  intimate  with  most  of  these. 
I  first  met 

Samuel  F.  B.  Morse 

at  a  party  given  by  a  daughter  of  Judge  Ingersoll, 
then  called  the  Belle  of  Connecticut.  Morse  dressed 
like  a  dandy,  but  was  sensible  in  conversation.  He 
was  not  a  man  of  positive  character.* 

Francis  Granger, 
of  the  class  of  18 11,  I  knew  well.     He  was  a  son  of 


*  Mr.  Allen  contributed  a  sketch  of  Prof.  Morse  and  his  inven- 
tion to  the  National  Memorial  in  1872. 


REMINISCENCES.  5 1 

Gideon  Granger,  Postmaster  General  under  Jeffer- 
son and  Madison.  Francis  was  appointed  to  the 
same  office  by  Harrison.  In  college  he  was  fat  and 
lazy  for  one  of  his  age,  and  we  nicknamed  him 
"Spud."  He  had,  however,  a  quick  mind,  and  was 
something  of  a  wag.  He  was  expelled  from  college 
for  breaking  a  tutor's  windows.  In  later  years  he 
overcame  his  indolence  and  gross  habit. "^ 

Samuel  S.  Phelps, 

afterwards  United  States  Senator  from  Vermont, 
was  a  brilliant  scholar.  I  was  very  intimate  with 
him. 

Joseph  E.  Worcester 

I  met  often.  He  was  a  profound  and  thorough 
scholar.  He  assisted  in  the  preparation  of  Web- 
ster's dictionaries,  and  finally  made  one  of  his  own. 
The  fact  that  his  work  was  patronized  by  Harvard 
College  gave  the  impression  that  he  was  an  alumnus 


Mr.  Granger  died  in  1868,  aged  76. 


52  REMINISCENCES. 

of  that  institution.  Notwithstanding  the  many  mer- 
its of  his  dictionary,  Webster's  is  the  great  author- 
ity, in  England  as  well  as  America. 

Badger — Devereux. 

George  E.  Badger  was  introduced  by  Webster  to 
Judge  Story  as  "Your  equal  and  my  superior." 

Badger  and  Devereux  were  both  fine  men  intel- 
lectually. They  loved  the  Union  and  supported 
secession  because  they  could  not  do  otherwise.* 

Anderson  Bagley 

of  my  class,  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina.  Of 
active  mind,  he  overworked  his  feeble  physical  pow- 
ers, and  died  about  a  month  after  graduation.  His 
disease  was  consumption.  He  had  the  promise  of 
an  election  to  Congress  by  the  citizens  of  his  district 
in  North  Carolina. 


*  George  E.  Badger  was  born  in  Newbern,  N.  C,  April  13,  1 795, 
and  died  at  Raleigh,  May  11,  1866.  He  was  Judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  N.  C,  1820-25  'j  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  1841  ;  and  U.  S. 
Senator  from  1846  to  1854.  Thomas  P.  Devereux  was  a  distin- 
guished lawyer  and  judge  of  North  Carolina.     He  died  in  1869. 


REMINISCENCES.  53 

Denison  Olmsted 

was  a  mild  mannered  man,  and  timid  ;  but  when  he 
had  made  up  his  mind,  was  quite  sure  to  be  right. 

Joshua  Leavitt 

became  a  lecturer  of  great  power  ;  and  as  an  editor 
he  exhibited  uncommon  ability.  John  C.  Calhoun 
characterized  the  "Emancipator"  as  the  ablest  jour- 
nal in  the  country.  Archibald  Alexander,  president 
of  Princeton  College,  a  strong  pro-slavery  man,  said 
there  was  no  paper  he  hated  as  he  did  the  "Eman- 
cipator"; yet  he  always  desired  to  read  it. 

Leavitt  censured  me  for  the  character  I  gave  Dan- 
iel Webster  in  my  "Complaint  of  Mexico."  He 
thought  I  conceded  too  much,  and  allowed  him  a 
higher  position  than  he  deserved.  I  do  not  think 
so.  Webster  had  a  noble  soul,  but  it  was  ruined  by 
his  ambition.     1  think  him  our  greatest  man. 

Chauncey  A.  Goodrich 

of  the  class  of  1810,  I  used  to  visit  often  at  his  fath- 
er's house.      He  married  one  of  Noah  Webster's 


54  REMINISCENCES. 

daughters — "Noah's  doves,"  as  the  students  called 
them.  Goodrich  assisted  his  father-in-law  in  the 
preparation  of  his  dictionary. 

John  M.  Clayton, 

the  distinguished  Delaware  statesman,  was  a  fine 
scholar  in  college,  and  received  the  first  honors  of 
his  class.  In  after  years  he  became  a  warm  friend 
of  my  brother  Charles.* 

John  Davis 

belonged  to  the  class  of  1812.  In  public  life  he  was, 
in  a  certain  sense,  one  of  our  strong  men  ;  but  his 
ability  was  mostly  in  his  discretion.  His  reputation 
for  honesty  has  been  exaggerated.  ''Honest  John 
Davis','  said  Henry  Clay,  "I  say,  Cunning  JoJui 
Fox.r 

Davis  possessed,  at  one  time,  considerable  wealth, 
which  was  diminished  by   injudicious    speculation. 


*  John  M.  Clayton  was  for  many  years  a  Senator  from  Delaware  ; 
and,  as  Secretary  of  State,  negotiated  the  famous  Clayton-Bulwer 
treaty  in  1850.     He  died  in  1856. 


REMINISCENCES.  .      55 

He  was  ambitious  of  the  vice-presidency  in   1848, 
but  Abbott  Lawrence  run  him  off  the  track.* 

Edward  Savage. 

At  New  Haven  I  became  acquainted  with  Savage, 
the  Princeton  artist  and  portrait  painter,  who  en- 
graved the  rare  portrait  of  Washington  published  in 
London  about  the  year  1791.  He  remained  for 
some  time  at  my  boarding  place,  and  as  my  room 
had  the  best  light,  he  made  use  of  it  to  copy  a  por- 
trait of  Roger  Sherman.  I  found  him  an  agreeable 
person. 

Savage  was  associated  with  Greenwood  in  the 
ownership  of  the  Columbian  Museum  in  Boston 
during  the  early  part  of  the  century.  Greenwood 
painted  the  portraits  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Sumner  of 
Shrewsbury,  and  the  Rev.  Peter  Whitney  of  North- 
borough,  from  which  the  engravings  were  made. 
He  belonged  to  Hubbardston. 


*John  Davis  was  eight  years  a  Representative  in  Congress,  four 
years  Governor  of  Massachusetts,  and  fourteen  years  a  Senator. 
He  was  born  in  1787,  and  died  April  19,  1S54. 


56  REMINISCENCES. 

John  Pierpont 

and  myself  boarded  at  the  same  place  in  New  Ha- 
ven. He,  at  that  time,  had  charge  of  two  sons  of 
Gov.  Allston  of  South  Carolina,  whose  tutor  he  had 
been  in  the  South.  They  were  relatives  of  Wash- 
ington Allston,  the  celebrated  artist.  Pierpont  be- 
gan the  study  of  law  at  Litchfield,  and  married  a 
Miss  Lord  of  that  town.  In  later  years  he  was  dis- 
tinguished as  a  clergyman,  lecturer  and  poet. 

Litchfield  was  called  by  Fisher  Ames  the  "Athens 
of  America."  It  contained  in  his  day  the  only  law 
school  in  the  country,  and  a  celebrated  seminary 
for  young  ladies.  Many  of  the  law  students  found 
their  wives  in  this  town. 

Pierrepont  Edwards. 

At  New  Haven  I  occasionally  saw  Pierrepont  Ed- 
wards, the  talented  and  brilliant  lawyer  and  noto- 
rious libertine  of  Connecticut.  His  licentiousness 
was,  I  think,  the  natural  reaction  from  his  over-strict 
early  training.      He  exhibited  much  of  his  father's 


REMINISCENCES.  57 

genius,  and  a  measure  was  transmitted  to  his  child- 
ren. One  of  his  natural  sons  became  a  distin- 
guished historian,  and  the  president  of  one  of  our 
best  known  colleges. 

Edwards,  at  a  tavern  where  he  shared  his  room 
with  a  friend,  was  taken  violently  ill  in  the  night ; 
and  beinor  frightened  exclaimed,  "I  shall  die  and  q-o 
to  hell!"  His  friend,  who  awaked  just  in  time  to 
hear  the  prophecy,   replied,   ''Plato,  tJiou  reasoncst 

Incidents  at  New  Haven. 

While  at  New  Haven,  I,  on  one  occasion,  climbed 
up  the  face  of  East  Rock,  about  three  hundred  feet 
— a  very  dangerous  exploit.  I  was  with  Elisha 
Mitchell  t  of  my  class,  and  we  were  in  search  of  the 


*  Pierrepont  Edwards  was  a  son  of  the  celebrated  Jonathan  Ed- 
wards. He  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution,  was  a  member 
of  the  Old  Congress,  and  an  able  advocate  of  the  Constitution  in 
the  convention  held  to  ratify  it.  He  became  Judge  of  the  U.  S. 
District  Court.     His  death  occurred  in  1826,  at  the  age  of  76. 

t  Elisha  Mitchell,  D.  D.  was  an  able  preacher,  and  a  geologist  of 
some  fame.     He  lost  his  life  on  Ulack  Mountain,  N.  C.  in  1857. 


58  REMINISCENCES. 

mineral  prehnitc,  which  was  to  be  found  in  the  basalt 
of  which  the  cliff  was  composed. 

I  visited  West  Rock  one  warm  Sunday  in  January, 
1810,  and  found  a  native  cactus  in  bloom.  I  went 
to  the  "Judges'  Cave,"  where  the  regicides  Goffe 
and  Whalley  were  once  concealed.  The  rocks  were 
covered  with  inscriptions  and  mottoes.  One,  I  re- 
member, was,  "Resistance  to  tyrants  is  obedience 
to  God." 

My  portrait  was  painted  on  ivory  by  Wood,  the 
celebrated  artist  in  that  line,  in  18 12.  All  his  por- 
traits were  exquisite  in  design  and  finish.  He  paint- 
ed among  others,  Dolly  Madison  and  John  Ran- 
dolph, for  which  he  was  paid  two  hundred  dollars 
each.  His  price  for  mine  was  fifty  dollars,  which 
did  not  include  the  gold  setting. 

William  Ellery. 

William  Ellery  of  Rhode  Island  resided  in  Wor- 
cester with  his  daughter,  the  wife  of  William  Sted- 
man,  during  the  War  of  181 2  ;  and  I  frequently  met 
him  after  my  return  from  New  Haven.      He  was  a 


REMINISCENCES.  59 

noble  looking  old  man,  his  age  at  this  time  being 
between  eighty  and  ninety  years.  I  often  played 
backgammon  with  him,  and  found  great  enjoyment 
in  his  society.  He  was  a  fine  scholar,  and  his  love 
lor  the  classics  increased  with  age  :  he  died  with 
De  Senechiic  in  his  hand.* 

The  Great  Gale. 

I  was  in  Worcester  at  the  time  of  the  Great  Gale 
of  September,  1815.  The  wind  blew  from  the  south- 
east ;  and  sea  gulls,  unable  to  breast  it,  were  carried 
from  Narraganset  Bay  as  far  north  as  Sterling, 
Mass.,  a  distance  of  more  than  fifty  miles  inland. 
Salt  spray  from  the  ocean  beat  against  the  window 
panes  of  my  father's  house.  Thousands  of  large 
forest  trees  were  uprooted  ;  and  when  I  went  to 
Shrewsbury  eight  years  later,  part  of  my  firewood 
came  from  this  source, 

Martin  Van  Buren. 

While  teaching  school  in  Albany  in  18 16,  I  passed 


William  Ellery  was  one  of  the  "Signers."     He  died  in  1820. 


6o  REMINISCENCES. 

much  of  my  leisure  time  in  the  office  of  Martin  Van 
Buren,  then  Attorney  General  of  the  State  of  New 
York.  I  became  well  acquainted  with  him,  and  he 
invited  me  to  occupy  a  seat  in  his  pew  in  church, 
which  I  did.  I  remember  John  Van  Buren  as  a  lit- 
tle boy  about  his  father's  office. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Chester  of  Albany  said  to  me  on 
one  occasion  about  this  time,  as  Van  Buren  passed 
us  on  the  street,  "That  man  is  destined  to  be  Pres- 
ident of  the  United  States," — a  prophecy  that  was 
fulfilled. 

Van  Buren's  abilities  were  of  a  high  character. 
In  politics  he  was  obliged  to  finesse  in  order  to  over- 
come his  opponents,  but  his  talent  for  intriguing 
has  been  greatly  over-estimated.  In  private  life  he 
was  an  amiable  and  worthy  man. 

Benjamin  F.  Butler. 

My  most  intimate  friend  in  Albany  was  Benjamin 
F.  Butler,  afterwards  Attorney  General  in  Van  Bu- 
ren's cabinet.  He  was  a  man  of  high  character  and 
rare  accomplishments. 


REMINISCENCES.  6 1 

Barnabas  Bidwell. 

About  this  time  I  became  acquainted  with  Barn- 
abas Bidwell.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Yale  College, 
and  had  been  a  tutor  there.  As  a  lawyer  he  attained 
eminence,  and  was  for  one  term  a  Member  of  Con- 
gress. Jefferson  w^ould  have  made  him  a  Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  ;  but  while 
the  matter  was  under  consideration,  Bidwell  com- 
mitted forgery  and  fled  to  Canada.  He  was  allowed 
to  come  to  Albany  to  settle  some  business  matters 
that  required  his  personal  attention,  with  the  under- 
standing that  he  would  not  be  molested — an  ar- 
rangement to  which  Governor  Tompkins  was  a 
party.  Bidwell  visited  his  home  in  Pittsfield,  go- 
ing and  coming  in  the  night.  He  was  a  man  of 
learning  and  extensive  information,  and  I  took 
pleasure  in  conversing  with  him.'* 

Jedediah  Burchard. 

Another  person  of  celebrity  at  this  time  was  Jed- 


*  Barnabas  Bidwell  died  in  1833.      His  son,  Marshall  Bidwell, 
was  prominent  in  Canadian  politics. 


62  REMINISCENCES. 

ediah  Burchard,  the  revivalist.  I  often  attended 
his  meeting's,  and  met  him  elsewhere.  He  had 
been  a  trader  and  storekeeper  in  former  years,  and 
lost  his  property  in  the  commercial  panic  following 
the  peace  in  1815.  During  the  War,  foreign  com- 
modities, such  as  tea,  coffee  and  spices,  were  held 
at  extravagant  prices — I  remember  that  nutmegs 
were  sold  at  half  a  dollar  each.  The  unexpected 
proclamation  of  peace,  opening  ports  and  releasing 
vessels,  pricked  the  bubble  and  caused  the  ruin  of 
many.  Mr.  Burchard,  at  the  time  I  first  saw  him, 
was  nominally  a  prisoner  for  debt,  being  allowed 
"jail  limits."  After  his  release  he  began  to  preach. 
He  had  considerable  power  as  a  speaker,  and  made 
many  converts  ;  but  at  times  his  impulses  overcame 
his  discretion.  His  rash  propensities  were  well  il- 
lustrated in  his  attack  upon  Aaron  Burr.* 


*"When  Aaron  Burr  returned  to  New  York  City  to  practice  law 
after  his  voluntary  exile  in  Europe,  he  found  the  late  Rev.  Jed- 
ediah  Burchard,  then  a  celebrated  revivalist,  holding  a  series  of 
protracted  meetings  in  his  family  church.  He  attended  from  habit, 
always  went  late,  and  disturbed  the  services  by  attracting  to  him- 
self the  attention   of  the   audience  on  account   of   his  infamous 


REMINISCENCES.  63 

Emmet. — Van  Schaack. 

I  heard  Thomas  A.  Emmet  in  a  trial  at  Albany  in 
which  there  were  six  lawyers  on  each  side.  Peter 
Van  Schaack  *  Martin  Van  Buren  and  Peter  A.  Jay 
were  of  the  number.  I  was  struck  with  Emmet's 
power.  Van  Schaack  I  remember  as  a  venerable, 
white-haired  old  man,  and  blind. 


notoriety  as  the  man  who  shot  Alexander  Hamilton,  and  who  had 
been  tried  for  treason.  Mr.  Burchard  resolved  to  rebuke  him 
openly.  The  next  Sabbath,  when  he  came  in  and  got  about  half 
way  up  the  aisle,  the  clergyman  paused  in  his  discourse,  and  point- 
ing at  Colonel  Burr,  said,  in  the  most  scathing  manner,  "You 
hoary-headed  old  sinner,  I'll  appear  against  you  at  the  day  of 
judgment  !"  The  proud,  defiant  old  man,  standing  erect  as  ever, 
with  that  perfect  composure  which  never  deserted  him,  and  fixing 
his  fine  gray  eyes  on  the  occupant  of  the  pulpit,  replied,  "Mr. 
Burchard,  I  have  observed  through  a  long  course  of  professional 
experience  that  the  very  meanest  class  of  criminals  are  those  who 
turn  Sfa/e's  evidence  I'' — Bench  and  Bar. 

*  Peter  Van  Schaack  was  a  distinguished  lawyer  of  New  York. 
He  was  a  loyal  refugee  during  the  Revolution,  but  returned  to  this 
country  in  1 785  and  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He 
also  gave  instruction  in  the  science  of  law,  and  published  several 
legal  works.     He  died  in  1S32,  aged  85. 


64  REMINISCENCES. 

I  met  many  other  persons  of  note  while  I  was  at 
Albany,  among  whom  were  De  Witt  Clinton  ;  Dan- 
iel D.  Tompkins,  then  Governor,  afterwards  Vice- 
President  ;  and  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer,  the  last  of 
the  Patroons. 

At  Schenectady. 

I  studied  theology  with  the  Rev.  Dr.  Yates  of 
Union  College,  Schenectady.  I  was  intimate  with 
many  of  the  students  there,  and  of  these  I  will  name 
Francis  Wayland,  Alonzo  Potter  and  Benjamin  B. 
Wisner,  Potter,*  at  this  time,  discovered  some 
tendencies  to  dissipation  ;  and  I  remember  an  inter- 
view I  had  with  him  in  regard  to  this  matter.  I 
remonstrated  with  him,  and  he  expressed  his  de- 
termination to  reform.  Wisner  was  a  keen  man. 
He  was  pastor  of  the  Old  South  Church  in  Boston, 
and  then  connected  himself  with  the  American 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  of  which  he  was  for 
some  years  the  effective  agent. 


*  Alonzo  Potter  was  Protestant  Episcopal  Bishop  of  Pennsylvania 
from  1845  to  his  death  in  1S65.  He  is  best  known  by  his  literary 
labors. 


REMINISCENCES.  65 

Hooper  Cummings. 

I  heard  the  eloquent  and  notorious  Hooper  Cum- 
mings preach  one  of  EHphalet  Nott's  sermons  as  his 
own  when  Nott  was  present.  I  sat  by  the  Doctor's 
side  during  the  service,  and  he  did  not  move  a  mus- 
cle of  his  face,  nor  did  he  allude  to  the  matter  after- 
wards. Cummings  had  the  hardihood  to  publish  the 
sermon,  and  stoutly  maintained  his  claim.  Nott's 
title,  after  a  lengthy  and  scandalous  controversy  in 
which  he  took  little  part,  was  established  beyond 
question, 

Nott's  power  as  a  preacher  and  pulpit  orator  was 
wonderful.  Harrison  Gray  Otis,  who  once  heard 
him  at  Saratoga,  said  that  he  had  never  before 
known  what  true  eloquence  was. 

Chancellor  Kent. 

An  event  in  my  life  was  my  meeting  with  James 
Kent,  Chancellor  of  New  York,  which  occurred  at 
the  tea  table  of  a  friend  in  Albany.  I  was  for  two 
hours  an  absorbed  listener  to  the  words  of  wisdom 


66  REMINISCENCES. 

which  came  from  his  Hps.  He  spoke  of  his  early 
struggles  to  obtain  an  education  ;  of  his  mortification 
at  his  deficiencies  after  graduation  ;  and  of  his  reso- 
lution to  perfect  himself  in  whatever  he  undertook. 
Of  his  son,  then  in  college,  (afterwards  a  professor 
at  Harvard  College,)  he  said,  with  much  simplicity, 
that  he  would  not  make  as  great  a  man  as  his  father 
— that  he  would  never  be  Chancellor  of  the  State  of 
New  York. 

Peter  Parley. 

Samuel  G.  Goodrich  kept  a  bookstore  in  Hart- 
ford which  I  frequented  during  my  residence  there. 
I  had  previously  known  his  brother,  the  Rev.  Charles 
A.  Goodrich,  who  was  for  some  years  pastor  of  the 
Old  South  Church  in  Worcester.  Samuel  G.,  known 
far  and  near  as  "Peter  Parley,"  was  a  pleasant  man 
to  meet,  and  an  entertaining  companion.  In  busi- 
ness and  politics  he  always  looked  out  for  number 
one.     Both  brothers  entered  public  life.* 


*  Samuel  G.  Goodrich  was  probably  the  most  prolific  writer  of 
his  day.     He  crossed  the  Atlantic  sixteen  times. 


REMINISCENCES.  67 

Dr.  Robbins. 

Another  Hartford  acquaintance  was  Dr.  Thomas 
Robbins  *  the  eccentric  antiquary.     He  was  a  bach- 
elor, and  hved  among  his  books.      I   remember  an 
incident  that  occurred,  I  think,  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Massachusetts  Historical  Society,  and  which  is  emi- 
nently characteristic  of  the  man.     The  subject  of  a 
general  history  of  the  country  was  being  discussed, 
and  Dr.  Robbins  in  the  course  of  his  remarks  said 
that  a  standard  work  was  needed— that  nothing  had 
been  written  worthy  of  the  name.      George  Ban- 
croft was  present,  and  at  the  close  of  the  meeting 
was   introduced  to   Robbins.       The    old   man   said, 
bluntly,  "Mr.  Bancroft,  1  have  read  your  volumes  ! " 

William  Charles  White 

1  knew  well.     He  was  a  handsome  man,  graceful  in 
every  movement.     Socially  he  possessed  rare  qual- 


*  Thomas  Robbins,  d.  d.  was  born  1777  ;  died  1856.  He  was 
the  founder,  and  for  many  years  librarian  of  the  Connecticut  His- 
torical Society  at  Hartford.  He  gave  his  valuable  library  to  that 
institution. 


68  REMINISCENCES. 

ities,  and  I  thoroughly  enjoyed  his  society.  Of  ver- 
satile talent,  he  had  been  an  actor,  writer  and  lawyer; 
and  in  all  these  professions  he  exhibited  more  than 
ordinary  ability.  He  was  District  Attorney  for  Wor- 
cester County  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1818.  He 
had  been  dissipated  in  his  youth,  but  became  wiser 
as  he  grew  older  :  his  life  was  undoubtedly  shortened 
by  his  early  excesses.  In  politics  he  was  a  Jeffer- 
sonian  Democrat.* 

The  V\^aldos. 

Daniel  Waldo,  senior,  gave  my  father  the  follow- 
ing anecdote  which  I  have  seen  in  print  without  the 
names  and  locality.  While  doing  business  in  Con- 
necticut, Waldo  had  occasion  to  inquire  as  to  the 
trustworthiness  of  a  certain  person  with  whom  he 
was  about  to  have  dealings,  and  was  referred  to  an 


*  William  Charles  White  was  a  native  of  Boston,  born  in  1777. 
His  father  was  a  prominent  merchant.  William  first  appeared  as 
an  actor  at  the  Federal  Street  Theatre  in  1 796.  He  wrote  a 
tragedy  and  a  number  of  novels  ;  and  published  a  compendium  of 
the  Laws  of  Massachusetts.  He  was  for  a  time  editor  of  the 
National  ^gis,  at  Worcester. 


REMINISCENCES.  69 

eccentric  individual  noted  for  his  singular  and  quaint 
expressions.  In  answer  to  Mr.  Waldo's  inquiries 
concerning-  the  character  of  the  party,  he  replied  : 
"Godward  he  is  a  very  good  man,  but  manward  he's 
rather  hvistical !  " 

Daniel  Waldo,  junior,  was  the  last  of  his  race. 
His  death  occurred  so  recently*  that  some  of  the 
younger  residents  of  Worcester  remember  him.  He 
was  a  delegate  to  the  celebrated  Hartford  Conven- 
tion ;  and  he  wrote  my  father  the  day  after  it  organ- 
ized, that  the  members  had  unanimously  resolved 
to  maintain  the  integrity  of  the  Union. f 

Jeremiah  Stiles 

was  a  man  of  varied  and  wonderful  talents.  He  at 
one  time  contemplated  studying  art  with  Benjamin 
West,  and  made  arrangements  to  go  to  England, 
but  was  prevented  by  the  French  War  of  1 798.  His 
ability  as  a  portrait  painter  was  remarkable  ;  and  he 


*i845. 

t  No  resolution  of  this  character  appears  in  the  report  of  the 
proceedings  of  the  convention. 


70  REMINISCENCES. 

was  a  poet  of  no  mean  pretensions,  exhibited  mostly 
in  epigrams.  Francis  Blake,  the  distinguished  law- 
yer, seeing  in  his  shop  the  works  of  Shakspeare  and 
Milton,  asked  him  if  he  read  them.  He  was  told 
to  open  either  of  the  volumes  at  random  and  read 
one  line,  which  Blake  did  repeatedly,  and  found  that 
Stiles  was  able  to  recite  with  perfect  accuracy  to 
any  length  in  either  book. 

Stiles  was  of  a  turbulent  disposition,  and  involved 
•liimself  in  litigation  which  swallowed  up  his  prop- 
erty and  resources.  He  painted  carriages  and  signs 
for  a  living.''^ 

The  Lincolns. 

The  elder  Levi  Lincoln  was  an  important  person- 
age during  the  early  part  of  the  present  century. 
He  had  been  prominent  in  the  councils  of  the  Rev- 
olution, and  afterwards  served  in  both  branches  of 


*  Jeremiah  Stiles,  born  at  Keene,  N.  H.,  May  21,  1771,  was 
drowned  in  Lake  Quinsigamond,  near  Worcester,  July  2,  1S26. 
One  of  his  portraits — that  of  Peter  Willard,  a  celebrated  darkey  of 
former  times — is  in  the  possession  of  the  Worcester  Society  of 
Antiquity. 


REMINISCENCES.  J I 

the  Legislature  and  in  Congress.  He  was  the  author 
of  a  series  of  political  essays  in  the  Republican  in- 
terest called  "Farmer's  Letters";  and  was  familiarly 
known  as  "Farmer  Lincoln."  He  became  Attorney 
General  of  the  United  States  in  1801.  At  the  time 
the  purchase  of  Louisiana  was  contemplated,  Jeffer- 
son wrote  to  Lincoln  expressing  his  doubts  as  to  the 
constitutionality  of  the  act.  Lincoln  replied:  ''You 
can  get  around  that.  You  have  the  power  with  the 
Senate  to  establish  the  boundaries  of  the  country. 
You  can  include  Louisiana  within  the  lines."  Thus, 
by  an  ingenious  evasion,  was  the  spirit,  if  not  the 
letter,  of  the  Constitution  violated.  The  original 
draft  of  this  opinion  was  preserved  in  a  volume  of 
Lincoln's  papers  presented  to  the  American  Anti- 
quarian Society  by  his  son,  William  Lincoln,  the 
historian  of  Worcester.  It  has  since  been  destroyed. 
I  was  a  witness  in  the  younger  Levi  Lincoln's 
first  case  before  a  court.  The  matter  in  dispute 
grew  out  of  the  trespassing  of  some  fowls,  and  one 
of  them  having  been  killed,  the  owner  brought  suit 
to  recover  damacjes.       I   was  associated  for  some 


72  REMINISCENCES. 

years  with  Governor  Lincoln  as  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  Leicester  Academy,  of  which 
he  was  president.  He  had  a  strong  will  and  an  im- 
perious temper.     As  a  public  man  he  ranked  well.'^ 

Red  Jacket. 

In  the  year  1818  I  attended  an  Indian  Council  at 
Buffalo,  and  heard  the  celebrated  Red  Jacket  make 
a  speech  in  his  native  tongue.  I  was  thrilled  by  his 
eloquence  although  I  could  not  understand  a  word. 

Aaron  Burr. 

I  saw  Aaron  Burr  at  Utica  in  1823,  where  we 
dined  at  the  same  table  for  several  days.  He  pre- 
sided and  carved  the  meat.      His  manners  and  ap- 


*Levi  Lincoln,  the  elder,  was  born  in  Hingham,  May  15,  1749  ; 
died  at  Worcester,  April  14,  1820.  He  was  acting  Governor  of 
Massachusetts  in  1809.  His  son,  Enoch  Lincoln,  was  Governor 
of  Maine  1827-9.  Levi  Lincoln,  junior,  was  born  in  Worcester, 
October  25,  1782  ;  and  died  there  May  29,  1868.  He  was  suc- 
cessively a  State  Senator  ;  a  Representative  and  one  year  Speaker  ; 
Lieutenant  Governor  ;  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court ;  Governor  from 
1825  to  1834  ;  Member  of  Congress  ;  and  Collector  of  the  Port  of 
Boston.     He  was  the  first  Mayor  of  the  City  of  Worcester. 


REMINISCENCES.  73 

pearance  were  graceful  and  gentlemanly.  1  had  no 
opportunity  of  conversing  with  him,  as  his  seat  was 
apart  from  mine. 

Matthew  L.  Davis,  Burr's  biographer,  told  me 
that  Burr  at  his  death  committed  to  his  charge  sev- 
eral trunks  full  of  letters  he  had  received  from  female 
correspondents,  some  of  them  connected  with  the 
first  families  in  the  land.  He  exacted  a  promise 
from  Davis  that  these  letters,  which  compromised 
the  characters  of  many  of  the  writers,  should  be 
published  after  his  decease  ;  but  Davis's  wife  pre- 
vailed upon  her  husband  to  destroy  them. 

I  think  that  the  licentiousness  of  Burr  and  his 
uncle,  Pierrepont  Edwards,  was  largely  the  result  of 
the  strict  surveillance  of  the  elder  Edwards  at  Stock- 
bridge,  where  they  lived  during  their  boyhood.  His 
rigid  and  ascetic  habits  implanted  in  their  minds  a 
hatred  of  religion  and  morality. 

Ministry  at  Shrewsbury. 

As  pastor  of  the  church  in  Shrewsbury,  I  was,  of 
course,  brought   into    intimate    relations    with    the 


74  REMINISCENCES. 

clergymen  of  the  neighboring  towns.  Dr.  Sumner, 
whom  I  succeeded,  was  an  able  preacher  and  a  man 
of  wide  influence.  At  the  time  I  took  charo;e  of  the 
church,  he  was  feeble  in  health  and  confined  to  his 
house.     He  died  within  a  few  months. 

Dr.  Sumner 

was  of  liberal  tendencies  in  religion.  Rev.  Dr.  Sam- 
uel Austin,  of  the  Old  South  Church  in  Worcester, 
once  made  a  friendly  call  at  his  house,  and,  as  was 
frequently  the  case  on  such  occasions,  they  engaged 
in  a  discussion  over  some  points  of  doctrine.  Dr. 
Sumner,  in  the  course  of  the  conversation,  said : 
"I  was  educated  in  the  Orthodox  belief,  and  I  al- 
ways keep  the  creed  by  me  :  I  have  lived  by  it, 
and  I  intend  to  die  by  it."  "But  you  have  clipped 
the  corners,"  said  Dr.  Austin.  "Yes,"  replied  Dr. 
Sumner,  "and  they  need  clipping  more."* 


*  Joseph  Sumner  was  born  in  Pomfret,  Conn.,  January  30,  1740. 
He  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1759,  and  was  ordained  pastor  of 
the  church  in  Shrewsbury  in  1762,  where  he  remained  until  his 
death,  December  9,  1824.  He  received  the  degree  of  d.  d.  from 
Harvard  University  in  1814. 


REMINISCENCES.  75 

Dr.  Puffer 

One  of  the  most  prominent  clergymen  in  the 
county  at  the  time  of  my  settlement,  was  the  Rev. 
Reuben  Puffer  of  Berlin.  He  graduated  at  Harvard 
College,  and  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  that 
obscure  town,  where  he  achieved  considerable  re- 
nown. He  was  chosen  to  preach  the  election  sermon 
in  1803.  In  his  preaching  he  was  pleasing,  but  had 
some  peculiarities  of  pronunciation,  as  towch  for 
touch,  etc.  Of  indefatigable  industry,  he  left  at  his 
death  fifty-two  undelivered  sermons  carefully  written 
out.* 

Asa  Packard. 

Another  preacher  of  note  was  Asa  Packard  f  of 
Marlborough,  at  that  time   living  in  retirement  at 


*The  Rev.  Reuben  Puffer  was  the  first  pastor  of  the  church  in 
BerHn,     He  was  ordained  in  1781,  and  died  in  1829. 

fRev.  x\sa  Packard  was  born  in  1758.  He  graduated  at  Har- 
vard University  in  1783  ;  preached  in  Marlborough  from  1785  to 
1819  ;  and  died  at  Lancaster  in  1843.  His  wife  was  a  sister  of 
Josiah  Quincy,  Jr.  of  revolutionary  fame. 


76  REMINISCENCES. 

Lancaster.     He  had  a  great  store  of  anecdote  which 
he  aptly  used  in  the  pulpit. 

Packard  was  a  drummer  in  the  War  of  the  Revo- 
lution, and  received  a  bullet  at  Harlem  Heights 
which  he  carried  through  life.  After  his  remains 
had  mouldered  in  the  coffin,  his  son-in-law,  Trask,  of 
anti-tobacco  fame,  searched  for  the  ball  and  found  it. 

Rev.  Dr.  Nelson. 

The  Rev.  John  Nelson  of  Leicester  preached  my 
ordination  sermon  at  Shrewsbury  in  1823.  My  re- 
lations with  him  were  cordial  and  intimate.  He  had 
many  good  parts,  one  of  which  was  industry.  But 
he  was  timid — a  man  of  panics.  He  was  popular, 
for  he  opposed  no  one  :  he  lacked  individuality.* 

Rev.  Nathanael  Howe. 

I  was  well  acquainted  with  Nathanael  Howe,  the 
eccentric  minister  of  Hopkinton.      He  exchanged 


*Rev.  John  Nelson  was  ordained  in  Leicester  in  181 2,  and  died 
there  in  1871. 


REMINISCENCES.  ']'] 

with  me  several  times.  His  "Century  Sermon"  is 
a  curious  production,  well  worth  the  reading.  Mr. 
Howe  was  quaint  in  speech  and  appearance,  but  he 
possessed  sterling  sense  and  a  benevolent  heart.* 

Rev.  James  Thompson 

of  Barre,  preached  the  sermon  on  the  fiftieth  anni- 
versary of  his  settlement  in  that  town.  He  was  a 
man  of  talent,  and  much  loved  by  his  people.  Oc- 
casional intemperance  was  his  failing :  he  was  once 
discovered  by  some  of  his  parishioners  in  a  state  of 
intoxication  in  the  church  on  a  week  day.  He  was 
forgiven.f 

Rev.  Joseph  Goffe 

of  Millbury,  with  proper  opportunities,  would  have 
made  a  statesman.      He  was  a  graduate  of  Dart- 


*  Nathanael  Howe  was  born  in  1764,  and  died  in  1837.  He 
was  minister  of  Hopkinton  forty-six  years.  His  "Century  Sermon" 
was  noticed  in  the  North  American  Review.  Several  editions  have 
been  published. 

t  James  Thompson  was  pastor  of  the  first  church  in  Barre  from 
1S04  to  1854. 


78  REMINISCENCES. 

mouth  College,  and  in  his  youth  had  a  hard  struggle 
to  obtain  an  education,  spending  his  vacations  logg- 
ing on  the  upper  Connecticut.  He  was  charged 
in  later  life  with  loving  money  too  well :  his  early 
experience  may  have  been  the  cause  of  this.  His 
church  in  Millbury  was  remarkable  for  its  activity, 
maintaining  a  revival  for  a  long  term  of  years.  Un- 
fortunately he  became  involved  in  a  controversy 
with  his  people,  and  was  tried  by  a  council  of  which 
I  was  a  member.  One  of  the  charges  against  him 
was,  that  he  had  spoken  unadvisedly  of  some  mem- 
bers of  his  church  ;  against  the  name  of  one  in  the 
records  he  had  written  :  "May  he  prove  a  better  man 
than  it  is  feared  he  will."  At  first  he  refused  to  at- 
tend the  council ;  but  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of 
Mr.  Bardwell  and  myself,  he  yielded.  He  addressed 
the  council  in  a  manner  that  brought  tears  to  the 
eyes  of  all  present. 

Mr.  Goffe  was  a  writer  of  Baxterian  simplicity, 
force  and  clearness.  He  left  two  thousand  manu- 
script discourses.* 


Rev.  Joseph  Goffe  preached  in  Millbury  from  1794  to  1830. 


REMINISCENCES.  79 

Rev.  Ebenezer  Chaplin, 

Mr.  Goffc's  predecessor,  I  remember  very  well.  He 
had  a  will  and  a  way  of  his  own.  His  quarrel  with 
his  church  was  remarkable  for  its  duration  and  his 
persistence.     He  was  the  author  of  several  books,  "^ 

Rev.  Edmund  Mills. 

I  remember  Edmund  Mills f  of  Sutton  as  a  very 
eloquent  man.  His  brother,  Samuel  J,  Mills,  of 
Torringford,  Connecticut, — a  most  eccentric  person 
— was  the  original  of  Mrs,  Stowe's  "Father  Morris" 
in  the  "Mayflower."     I  saw  him  at  Yale  College. 


*  Rev.  Ebenezer  Chaplin  was  minister  of  the  second  parish  in 
Sutton  (now  inchided  in  Millbury)  from  1764  to  1792.  He  de- 
cHned  to  acquiesce  in  his  dismission,  and  some  time  after  sued  the 
parish  for  his  support,  but  failed  to  establish  his  claim.  He  re- 
moved to  Hardwick,  where  he  died  in  1822,  aged  89.  An  in- 
teresting account  of  Mr.  Chaplin  and  his  troubles,  drawn  from 
original  papers  by  Mr.  Henry  L.  Shumway,  is  printed  in  the  Pro- 
ceedings of  the  Worcester  Society  of  Antiquity  for  1882. 

t  Edmund  Mills  was  pastor  of  the  first  church  in  Sutton  from 
1 790  to  1825. 


8o  REMINISCENXES. 

Rev.  Elisha  Rockwood 

of  Westborough,  was  a  sound  man,  useful  and  schol- 
arly, but  over-orthodox.  He  was  a  graduate  of 
Dartmouth  College."^ 

Rev.  John  Boardman 

of  West  Boylston,  was  an  able  man,  unconscious  of 
his  own  power.  He  was  a  true  friend  through  all 
my  troubles  in  Shrewsbury,  and  I  missed  him  more 
than  any  other.  He  went  to  East  Douglas  and  died 
there. t     His  predecessor  in  West  Boylston,  the 

Rev.  William  Nash, 

was  the  best  writer  in  Worcester  County,  and  a 
preacher  of  wonderful  force  and  ability.  Every- 
thing he  said  had  a  point.     He  was  a  great  favorite 


*  Elisha  Rockwood  was  ordained  in  Westborough  in  1808,  and 
dismissed  in  1835. 

t  Rev.  John  Boardman  was  setded  in  West  Boylston  from  1821 
to  1834;  and  in  East  Douglas  from  1835  to  his  death  in  1841. 
William  Nash,  the  first  minister  of  West  Boylston,  was  ordained  in 
1797.     He  died  in  1829. 


REMINISCENCES.  8 1 

with  Theophilus  Parsons,  and  Dr.  Bancroft  usually 
contrived  to  have  him  preach  in  Worcester  during 
the  session  of  the  court.  His  sharp  sayings  in  the 
pulpit  were  generally  accompanied  by  a  peculiar 
grimace  which  Parsons  said  was  to  clinch  the  ex- 
pression. Nash  was  feeble  physically.  He  was  a 
graduate  of  Yale,  and  studied  theology  with  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Lothrop  of  Springfield. 

Rev.  Joseph  Allen 

of  I^orthborough,  was  a  man  beloved  by  all  who 
knew  him.  He  was  the  successor  of  Peter  Whitney, 
author  of  the  History  of  Worcester  County,  who 
was  called  by  Rev.  Zabdiel  Adams  of  Lunenburg, 
"Little  Peter  the  Great."  The  most  cordial  friend- 
ship existed  between  Mr.  Allen  and  myself,  and  we 
visited  each  other  often.  Our  blood  relationship,  if 
any,  was  distant.* 

John  S.  C.  Abbott 

was  one  of  my  most  valued  friends.      I   first  knew 


*  Rev.  Joseph  Allen  was  pastor  of  the  church  in  Northborough 
from  1816  to  his  death  in  1873. 


82  REMINISCENCES, 

him  at  Worcester,  and  have  since  visited  him  at 
Brunswick  and  New  Haven.  He  was  not,  I  think, 
a  person  of  acute,  philosophical  or  logical  mind  ;  but 
was  quick  to  apprehend,  and  would  at  least  see  all 
the  surface  of  a  thing.  He  and  his  brother  Jacob 
were  rapid  writers,  and  their  productions  were  al- 
ways remunerative.^ 

While  at  Worcester,  John  preached  a  series  of 
discourses  which  were  collected  and  printed  in  a 
volume  under  the  name  of  "The  Mother  at  Home." 
It  attained  great  popularity,  and  numerous  editions 
were  published  here  and  in  England.  The  English 
editions  were  first  issued  with  the  name  of  Jacob 
through  mistake.  * 


*The  Abbott  brothers  were  voluminous  writers.  Jacob,  the 
elder,  was  the  author  of  many  works  of  excellent  character  for  the 
young,  which  still  retain  a  deserved  popularity.  John  S.  C.  was 
•born  at  Brunswick,  Me.,  in  1805.  He  graduated  at  Bowdoin  and 
Andover.  He  was  pastor  of  the  Calvinist  (now  the  Central) 
Church  in  Worcester  from  1830  to  1835  I  ^^^^  ^^^^  active  in  the 
ministry  until  his  death  in  1877.  He  wrote  many  histories  and 
biographical  works.  A  certain  fervor  and  a  high  but  pleasing 
color  characterize  his  productions. 


REMINISCENCES.  53 

At  the  time  I  first  knew  John  in  1830,  he  enter- 
tained no  exalted  opinion  of  Napoleon  ;  and  he  once 
remarked  to  me  that  he  thought  he  merited  no  dis- 
tinction  either  as  a  soldier  or  a  statesman.  I  replied 
that  as  to  his  military  ability  the  luorld  had  decided ; 
and  in  proof  of  his  statesmanship  I  would  read  him  a 
letter  of  Napoleon  to  one  of  his  ministers,  relating 
to  the  construction  of  canals  and  other  internal  im- 
provements, and  the  extinction  of  pauperism  in 
Prance,  written  in  the  midst  of  one  of  his  fiercest 
contests  with  foreign  powers,  and  on  the  eve  of  a 
great  battle.  Abbott  says,  in  his  Life  of  Napoleon, 
that  this  letter  changed  entirely  his  opinion  of  the 
man  ;  and  he  told  me,  years  after,  when  the  "Life" 
was  published,  that  if  he  had  erred  in  his  estimate  I 
was  in  part  responsible. 

Abbott  was  not  affected  in  the  least  by  the  ad- 
verse criticisms  of  his  history.  Gen.  Scott  pro- 
nounced it  the  best  and  only  true  life  of  Napoleon  : 
it  is  certainly  the  most  popular  one.  The  author 
was  thoroughly  sincere  in  his  work,  as,  indeed,  he 
was  in  everything. 


84  REMINISCENCES. 

Rum  at  Funerals. 

At  "the  time  I  entered  the  ministry,  rum  drinking 
at  funerals  was  tlie  common  practice,  as  it  had  been 
from  time  immemorial.  I  made  the  resolution  to 
break  it  up,  in  my  parish  at  least ;  and  I  take 
some  credit  to  myself  that  the  effect  of  my  action 
was  manifest  elsewhere.  It  was  in  1827,  at  the  fu- 
neral of  Elijah  Rice  in  Shrewsbury,  that  I  first  gave 
expression  to  my  disapproval  of  this  custom.  At 
the  conclusion  of  the  service,  hearing  the  toddy 
sticks  going  in  the  kitchen,  I  asked  the  daughter  of 
the  deceased  if  that  noise  could  not  be  stopped. 
She  replied  that  it  would  give  offense  if  any  objec- 
tion was  made.  "Tell  your  friends  that  I  request 
it,"  said  I,  "and  let  the  blame  be  laid  upon  me." 
No  rum  was  drank  at  that  funeral ;  and,  although 
the  affair  was  the  cause  of  some  comment,  I  had  no 
occasion  to  protest  the  second  time.  The  custom 
was  effectually  broken  up  in  Shrewsbury,  and  the 
leaven  spread  to  other  towns  in  the  vicinity,  aiding 
the  rise  of  a  proper  sentiment  which  crushed  out 
such  vile  and  disgraceful  practices. 


REMINISCENCES.  85 

Anti-masonry. 

I  was  actively  opposed  to  Free-masonry,  and  took 
part  in  the  controversy  following"  the  murder  of 
Morgan  which  nearly  exterminated  the  institution. 
I  had  lived  in  western  New  York,  and  knew  some 
of  the  alleged  murderers.  During  the  excitement 
incident  to  the  tragedy,  and  in  years  after,  I  used 
my  pen  and  voice  against  the  organization.  While 
Everett  was  Governor  some  one  addressed  an  open 
letter  to  him,  deprecating  the  agitation  against  ma- 
sonry, saying  that  the  matter  might  safely  be  left  to 
the  judgment  of  popular  sentiment,  which  w^ould  in 
time  root  out  the  institution  if  it  proved  pernicious. 
To  this  I  replied  in  an  argument  drawn  from  the 
admissions  of  Masons,  in  relation  to  the  power  of 
the  body  in  politics  and  business  affairs.  This  was 
printed  in  a  pamphlet,  and  one  fell  into  the  hands  of 

John  Quincy  Adams, 

which  opened  an  acquaintance  that  lasted  to  the  end 
of  his  life.  He  wrote  me  a  long  letter,  saying  that 
when  he  became  President  he  had  made  up  his  mind 


86  REMINISCENCES. 

to  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  anti-masonic  agita- 
tion ;  but  that  the  Masons  brought  so  powerful  a 
pressure  to  bear  upon  him  in  the  affairs  of  the  Gov- 
ernment, and  exerted  such  a  force  in  pohtics,  that 
he  considered  it  his  duty  to  come  out  against  them. 
This  letter  mystei^iousiy  disappeared  from  my  study 
at  Shrewsbury,  and  has  never  been  recovered. 

Some  time  before  the  annexation  of  Texas,  I  vis- 
ited Mr.  Adams  at  his  home  in  Quincy,  and  spoke 
of  the  danger  in  admitting  that  state  into  the  Union. 
Mr.  Adams  thought  there  was  no  cause  for  alarm — 
that  Texas,  if  admitted,  would  be  divided  into  five 
states,  two  slave  and  three  free.  This  simplicity  was 
remarkable  in  a  statesman  of  Mr.  Adams's  sagacity. 

Charles  Sumner  told  me  that  he  had  examined 
with  care  the  archives  of  the  State  Department,  and 
that  in  regard  to  ability,  John  Quincy  Adams  stood 
at  the  head  of  those  who  have  held  the  office  of 
Secretary.  There  was  more  documentary  evidence 
in  his  own  handwriting  than  in  that  of  any  other 
Minister  of  State,  and  the  amount  of  labor  he  per- 
formed was  remarkable.     Everett  came  next. 


REMINISCENCES.  87 

William  Ellery  Channing 

I  met  several  times.  I  think  his  ability  has  been 
overrated.  Unitarianism  sprung  up,  partly  in  self- 
defense,  and  partly  aggressive  ;  and  the  champion  of 
any  new  cause,  especially  if  it  proves  successful,  is 
sure  to  be  exalted  above  his  real  merit.  Harriet 
Martineau's  characterization — that  he  was  a  eood, 
but  not  a  great  man — seems  a  just  one. 

Some  have  censured  Dr.  Channing  because  he 
did  not  enter  into  the  anti-slavery  contest  with  more 
spirit ;  but  I  think  he  acted  wisely.  His  health  at 
that  time  was  delicate,  and  he  was  afraid  of  break- 
ing down  mentally  and  physically  under  the  fierce 
ordeal  to  which  he  would  have  been  subjected. 

I  do  not  think  that  Channing  comprehended  the 
character  of 

Napoleon. 

He  certainly  had  no  conception  of  his  genius.  His 
review  in  the  Christian  Examiner  is  a  mass  of  whole- 
sale denunciation  and  "glittering  generalities."    An 


88  REMINISCENCES. 

impartial  estimate  of  Napoleon  viiist  be  favorable  to 
the  man.  His  character  had  blemishes,  but  his  ge- 
nius  was  of  the  highest  order.  He  came  up  at  a 
time  France  was  in  need  of  a  master  mind  to  control 
the  conflictingr  elements,  and  he  fitted  the  emer- 
gency.  Channing  had  no  more  right  to  call  Napo- 
leon a  political  charlatan  than  we  have  to  call  Chan- 
ning an  ecclesiastical  quack. 

Samson  V.  S.  Wilder. 

I  used  frequently  to  visit  Mr.  Wilder  at  his  home 
in  Bolton,  where  he  dispensed  an  elegant  hospi- 
tality. His  manners  and  habits  were  ostentatious. 
He  was  an  interesting  speaker;  but  the  great  "I" 
entered  largely  into  his  delivery.  But  what  he  said 
was  worth  the  hearing,  for  he  had  been  much  about 
the  world,  and  his  experience  was  of  great  value  to 
others.  After  he  met  his  reverse  of  fortune,  I  visited 
him  at  the  jail  in  Worcester,  where  he  was  impris- 
oned for  debt.  He  was  not  in  the  least  cast  down 
by  his  misfortunes :  he  had  a  firm  reliance  in  the 
Great  Power  above.     After  his  release  he  was  main- 


REMINISCENCES.  89 

tained  during  the  rest  of  his  hfe  by  friends,  who 
provided  for  him,  I  think,  without  his  knowledge. 
He  named  his  oldest  daughter  Samsonia.^ 

Abolition  of  Slavery. 

When  I  first  brought  up  the  matter  of  the  Aboli- 
tion of  Slavery  in  the  Council  of  Ministers  convened 
at  Worcester  in  i837,t  they  asked  me  what  I  expect- 
ed to  accomplish   against  so  powerful  a  monopoly. 


*  Samson  Vr\  ling  Stoddard  Wilder  was  born  in  Lancaster,  Mass., 
May  20,  1780.  He  engaged  in  the  dry  goods  business  in  Boston 
about  the  beginning  of  the  century;  and  in  1803  went  abroad  as 
commercial  agent  for  William  Gray,  the  prominent  merchant.  He 
resided  for  nearly  twenty  years  in  Paris  ;  and  after  the  battle  of 
Waterloo,  laid  a  plan  for  the  escape  of  Napoleon  to  America,  of 
which  the  Emperor  refused  to  avail  himself  because  it  necessitated 
the  abandonment  of  his  followers.  Having  accumulated  a  large 
fortune,  Mr.  Wilder,  in  1823,  returned  to  this  country,  and  retired 
to  his  estate  in  Bolton,  where  he  entertained  Lafayette  on  his  visit 
to  the  United  States  in  1S24.  Mr.  Wilder's  property  was  swept 
away  in  the  crash  of  1837.  He  died  at  Elizabeth,  N.  J.,  March 
3,  1865.  He  was  a  man  of  natural  piety,  and  gave  largely  of  his 
wealth  to  promote  the  cause  of  religion  and  morality. 

tSee  ante,  page  16.  The  Rev.  Samuel  May  of  Leicester  con- 
tributed some  interesting  reminiscences  of  Mr.  Allen  and  this 
Convention  to  the  New  England  Home  Journal  of  April  20,  1883. 


90  REMINISCENCES. 

To  them  it  seemed  worse  than  folly  to  attack  it. 
I  told  them  that  it  took  thirty  years  in  the  British 
Parliament  to  abolish  the  slave  trade,  and  that  I 
would  work  as  long  for  the  Abolition  of  Slavery  in 
America.  Before  the  thirty  years  had  passed  it  was 
accomplished. 

William  Lloyd  Garrison. 

I  had,  on  one  occasion,  an  unpleasant  encounter 
with  Garrison,  and  was  obliged  to  make  use  of  plain 
language.  He  denied  that  he  had  expressed  certain 
sentiments  in  his  paper ;  but  I  convinced  him  of  his 
error  by  pointing  out  the  passages  in  a  volume  of 
the  Liberator.  He  had  probably  forgotten  that  he 
wrote  them. 

I  do  not  concede  to  Garrison  the  high  character 
given  him  by  many.  If  he  had  had  his  way  in  his 
opposition  to  the  ballot,  slavery  would  have  existed 
to-day.  He  believed  in  moral  suasion  alone,  and 
the  South  would  gladly  have  had  the  whole  North 
of  that  mind. 


REMINISCENCES.  9 1 

Wendell  Phillips. 

I  have  a  high  opinion  of  the  abihties  of  Wendell 
Phillips.  At  times  he  has  exhibited  more  valor  than 
discretion,  but  he  always  planted  himself  firmly  for 
the  right.  His  scholarship  and  culture  are  of  the 
highest  order. 

Daniel  Webster 

I  met  on  several  occasions.  The  expression  of  his 
face,  as  I  saw  him,  was  very  pleasant,  and  not  harsh 
and  stern,  as  some  of  his  portraits  make  him.  He 
condescended  to  take  some  notice  of  my  pamphlet, 
"The  Complaint  of  Mexico." 

Webster  was  not  a  man  of  comprehensive  scholar- 
ship ;  but  what  he  knew,  he  knew  thoroughly.  I 
think  he  had  little  moral  principle  ;  and  in  Washing- 
ton he  was  surrounded  by  temptations  to  which  he 
probably  too  often  yielded. 

I  have  read  all  of  the  orations  of  Demosthenes 
and  Cicero  in  the  original,  with  the  best  efforts  of 
others  in  various  languages,  and  I  think  Webster's 
reply  to  Hayne  transcends  them  all. 


92  REMINISCENCES. 

Peter  Harvey, 

I  have  had  portions  of  Harvey's  "Reminiscences" 
read  to  me.  I  think  they  exhibit  Webster's  charac- 
ter in  a  very  unfavorable  hght. 

I  knew  Harvey  welL  He  had  some  talent.  He 
was  a  lay  member  of  the  council  at  Shrewsbury  that 
tried  me  upon  charges  brought  by  Henry  Dana 
Ward. 

Edward  Everett. 

Everett  was  a  thorough  scholar,  with  unsurpassed 
abilities  as  a  rhetorician.  As  to  his  character,  a  re- 
mark of  my  brother  Charles  expresses  a  great  deal. 
Being  invited  to  hear  the  oration  on  Washington, 
he  declined,  saying,  "I  do  not  like  to  see  Everett 
lay  his  hand  where  his  heart  ought  to  be,"  alluding 
to  a  favorite  gesture  of  the  orator. 

Rufus  Choate. 

Choate  was  not  a  man  of  individuality ;  yet  he 
stood  alone.   His  principles  were  fluctuating. 


REMINISCENCES.  93 

Governor  Briggs. 
After  the  second  defeat  of  the  Whigs  by  Marcus 
Morton,  the  party  managers  were  in  something  of  a 
quandary  in  regard  to  the  nomination  of  a  candidate 
for  Governor  who  could  pacify  the  disaffected,  and 
command  the  full  vote  of  their  organization.     Some 
time  before  the  convention  met,  I  suggested  to  my 
brother  that  George  N.  Briggs  would  be  a  strong 
candidate  ;  that  he  would  be  sure  of  all  the  Whig 
votes,  and.  being  a  Baptist,  would  draw  many  from 
the  Democrats,  who  were,  at  that  time,  largely  of 
that  persuasion.     Charles  acquiesced  in  this  opinion, 
and  gave  his  support  to   Briggs,  who  received  the 
nomination  and  was  elected."^ 

The  Court  of  Common  Pleas  in  this  state  was 
abolished  in  1858  to  get  rid  of  its  incompetent 
judges,  Briggs  and  Mellen  among  the  number. 
They  were  excellent  men,  but  were  totally  unfit  for 
a  judicial  position  of  great  responsibility. 

*George  N.  Briggs  was  born  April  13,  1796  ;  and  died  Sept.  12 
1 86 1.     He  was  a  Member  of  Congress  from  1S31  to  1843,  and 
Governor  of  Massachusetts  from  1844  to  185 1. 


94  REMINISCENCES. 

John  G.  ^A^hittier 

I  have  known  for  many  years.  His  appearance  as 
a  young  man  was  very  like  the  oil  portrait  I  possess, 
and  which  was  a  gift  from  the  painter,  Robert  Peck- 
ham.  Whittier  is  diffident  and  retiring  in  manner, 
but  not  cold  or  distant.  I  have  visited  him  at  Ames- 
bury. 

Nehemiah  Adams. 

I  never  had  much  respect  for  Nehemiah  Adams. 
He  made  assertions  without  reflection  or  judgment: 
he  once  characterized  Channing  as  a  man  of  no 
ability.   His  "South  Side  View"  is  another  example. 

Edwards  a  Pro-slavery  Man. 

I  once  heard  Professor  Calvin  Ellis  Stowe  deliver 
an  address  in  Boston,  in  which  he  eulogized  the 
elder  Jonathan  Edwards  for  his  anti-slavery  princi- 
ples. Grahame,  the  Scottish  historian  of  the  United 
States,  fell  into  the  same  error  by  confounding  the 
first  Jonathan  with  his  son  of  that  name.  The  son 
was  a  strong  lover  of  freedom  ;  but  the  father  wrote 


REMINISCENCES.  95 

and  preached  in  defense  of  slavery.  He  once  bought 
a  slave,  and  one  of  his  parishioners  remonstrated 
with  him,  asking  him  if  he  was  doing  as  he  would 
be  done  by.  Edwards  replied  that  he  would  answer 
that  at  some  future  time,  and  soon  after  he  preached 
a  sermon  in  defense  of  slave-holdinof.  After  his 
death  this  sermon  was  destroyed  by  his  family. 

An  attempt  has  lately  been  made  to  prove  that 
Edwards  changed  his  views  in  regard  to  original  sin. 
As  his  book  was  passing  through  the  press  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  and  the  sheets  were  corrected  by 
him  up  to  his  last  illness,  which  was  brief,  this  can- 
not be  true.  This  treatise  is  as  discreditable  to  him 
as  the  pro-slavery  sermon,  and  should  have  been 
destroyed  with  it. 

George  Brinley 

was  my  esteemed  friend.  It  was  not,  as  is  well 
Tcnown,  his  custom  to  favor  even  his  associates  with 
an  examination  of  his  library.  I  was,  however,  once 
granted  the  privilege.  I  justify  him  in  not  showing 
his  books  ;  for  others  by  seeing  them,  might  receive 


96  REMINISCENCES. 

suggestions  that  would  be  acted  upon  to  his  disad- 
vantage, and  defeat  his  purpose  of  forming  an 
unique  American  hbrary. 

Elihu  Burritt. 

Burritt  did  not  possess,  nor  did  he  claim  for  him- 
self, the  ohiloloeical  knowled^^e  attributed  to  him. 
He  told  me  that  he  felt  a  deep  mortification  at 
being  spoken  of  as  a  prodigy.  Edward  Everett  did 
much  to  bring  him  into  notice  in  this  manner. 

Burritt  acquired  languages  with  wonderful  facil- 
ity ;  but  he  had  no  critical  knowledge  of  any  one  of 
them.  His  mind  was  not  calculated  to  grasp  the 
profound  parts  of  anything. 

Abbott  Lawrence. 

I  had  some  acquaintance  with  Abbott  Lawrence. 
He  was  a  member,  with  my  brother  Charles,  of  the 
Commission  to  settle  the  North-eastern  Boundary. 
Lawrence  was  a  fine  looking  man,  of  courteous  and 
winning  manners.  He  possessed  a  deal  ot  cunning, 
and  in  this  differed  from  his  brother  Amos. 


REMINISCENCES.  97 

In  1848,  Abbott,  who  had  secretly  maneuvered 
for  that  end,  was  selected  by  the  Southern  element 
in  the  National  Whig  Convention  as  the  candidate 
for  Vice-President ;  but  the  action  of  my  brother  in 
spurning  the  bribe,  made  it  necessary,  according  to 
Senator  Archer  of  V^irginia,  to  take  a  man  from 
some  other  state,  and  Millard  Fillmore  of  New  York 
was  chosen,  Lawrence  was  deeply  chagrined,  as  he 
had  received  positive  assurance  that  he  would  be  the 
candidate — indeed  he  had  been  toasted  as  the  future 
Vice-President  at  a  semi-public  dinner. 

Sometime  during  the  ensuing  canvass  in  which 
my  brother  was  the  Free  Soil  candidate  for  Repre- 
sentative in  Congress  against  the  regular  Whig 
nominee,  Charles  Sumner  and  Abbott  Lawrence 
met  upon  the  street  in  Boston,  and  the  former  in- 
quired as  to  the  prospects  of  Judge  Allen  at  Wor- 
cester. Lawrence  laughed,  and  said :  "I  have  no  fear 
of  the  result.  Governor  Lincoln  and  Governor  Davis 
will  take  care  of  him."  Subsequent  events  proved 
that  my  brother  was  able  to  "take  care"  of  himself. 


98  REMINISCENCES. 

John  P.  Hale. 

I  used  to  meet  John  P.  Hale  often  in  Free  Soil 
times.  He  was  the  guest  of  my  brother  whenever 
he  visited  Worcester.  He  had  infinite  humor  and 
pungent  wit,  which  were  always  ready  in  retort. 
His  strokes  fell  so  unexpectedly,  and  were  accom- 
panied with  such  appropriate  manner  and  gesture, 
that  his  worst  enemies  were  at  once  convulsed.  He 
never  descended  to  buffoonery. 

"  Massachusetts  wears  no  chains." 

The  Resolution^*  which  became  so  famous,  was 
offered  by  me  at  a  Free  Soil  meeting  in  the  City 
Hall,  Worcester,  in  the  summer  of  1848.  I  had  been 
detained  at  the  hospital  until  late  in  the  evening ; 
and,  hurrying  to  the  meeting,  composed  the  Reso- 
lution while  on  the  run  from  Summer  Street  to  the 
Common.  My  brother  Charles  had  made  a  speech 
and  left  the  hall  before  I  entered.  The  Resolution 
was  received  with  great  enthusiasm  ;  and  at  the  re- 

*See  page  19. 


REMINISCENCES.  99 

quest  of  the  chairman  of  the  meeting,  Mr.  Albert 
Tolman,  was  reduced  to  writing  from  my  dictation 
by  WilHam  S.  Robinson,"^  who  was  present  as  a  re- 
porter. This  accounts  for  the  statement  by  Mrs. 
Robinson,  in  her  volume  "Pen  Portraits,"  that  her 
husband  was  the  author :  she  probably  found  the 
original  draft  in  his  handwriting  among  his  papers. 

After  the  meeting  adjourned,  I  went  to  my  broth- 
er's house  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Park  Streets. 
He  had  heard  the  cheering  and  inquired  the  cause. 
I  simply  said  that  a  resolution  had  been  offered. 
He  did  not  know  the  particulars  until  the  next  morn- 
ing. 

This  Resolution  was  adopted  by  Free  Soil  meet- 
ings throughout  the  state ;  and  was  incorporated 
in  the  "platform"  at  the  general  State  Convention. 

Joshua  R.  Giddings. 

Mr.  Giddings  told  me,  the  last  time  he  was  in 
Worcester,  of  an  attempt  made  in  1852  by  some  of 


*"  Warrington." 


lOO  REMINISCENCES. 

its  prominent  members,  to  break  up  the  Free  Soil 
party.  Its  representatives  in  Washington  were  in 
the  habit  of  holding  weekly  meetings  for  discussion 
at  the  office  of  the  National  Era.  At  one  of  these 
meetings,  Salmon  P.  Chase  expressed  the  opinion 
that  the  time  had  come  for  the  dissolution  of  the 
organization.  Its  influence  was  waning,  and  it  was 
useless  to  continue  the  struggle  longer :  they  had 
better  give  their  support  to  General  Scott,  the  Whig 
candidate.  He  made  a  powerful  speech  in  favor  of 
this  course.  John  P.  Hale  followed  in  the  same 
vein.  Sumner  was  called  upon,  and  in  the  expres- 
sion of  his  views,  wavered  in  apparent  uncertainty 
as  to  the  best  course  to  pursue — in  fact,  would  not 
commit  himself.  "Then,"  said  Giddings,  "your 
brother  spoke.  He  said,  'I  shall  stand  firm  for  our 
organization  if  I  stand  here  alone.  The  South  is 
infatuated,  and  will,  before  long,  do  something  that 
will  astound  the  whole  country.'  He  told  them  that 
if  they  abandoned  the  party,  they  would  be  driven 
to  form  another.  I  sustained  him,  and  through  our 
efforts  the  party  was  saved." 


REMINISCENCES.  lOI 

Charles  Sumner. 

I  knew  Sumner  lono"  before  he  was  thoiio:ht  of  as 
a  public  man.  In  him  the  aristocratic  bias  was 
strong,  but  his  sound  principles  overcame  it. 

I  was  present  when  he  delivered  his  oration  on 
the  "True  Grandeur  of  Nations,"  in  Faneuil  Hall ; 
and  I  was  so  indignant  at  some  of  the  impracticable 
notions  put  forth,  and  at  his  treatment  of  some  of 
the  great  characters  of  history,  that,  had  it  been 
proper,  I  should  have  replied  to  him  on  the  spot. 
Sumner  modified,  to  a  great  extent,  the  opinions 
expressed  on  that  occasion  after  he  had  \\2.6.  practical 
experience  in  politics. 

The  last  interview  of  length  that  I  had  with  Sum- 
ner was  in  the  studio  of  the  artist  Wight,  to  whom 
he  was  sitting  for  a  portrait.  Wight  thanked  me 
for  my  services  on  that  occasion,  for  he  had  found  it 
difficult  to  get  the  desired  expression  for  his  canvas, 
as  Sumner,  if  alone,  would  lapse  into  a  dull  look. 
I  engaged  him  in  conversation,  and  as  we  recalled 
the  incidents  of  the  anti-slavery  conflict,  in  which  he 
and  Wilson  and  Giddings,  with  others,   had  taken 


I02  REMINISCENCES. 

part,  his  face  lighted  with  animation.  We  conversed 
more  than  an  hour,  the  painter  meanwhile  working 
busily  with  his  brush. 

After  Sumner  had  been  censured  by  the  Massa- 
chusetts Legislature,  he,  at  the  solicitation  of  some 
friends,  wrote  me  a  letter  with  the  request  that  I 
would  appear  before  the  Committee  appointed  to 
take  into  consideration  the  petitions  for  rescinding 
I  the  resolution  of  censure.'^  I  replied  that  at  my  age 

I  it  would  not  be  prudent  for  me  to  do  so,  and  added  : 

I 

"It  is  not  necessary.    The  blockheads,  in  their  zeal, 

'  have  too  fully  committed  this  legislature  for  any- 

thing to  be  accomplished  in  your  favor.  You  must 
wait  until  the  next.  In  the  meantime  the  people 
w^ll  be  heard." 

The  Fuss  at  Andover. 

When   Dr.    Dana   published    his    imputation    of 
heresy  against  Professor  Park,  to  which  action  he 


*  Senator  Sumner  highly  esteemed  the  character  and  abilities  of 
Mr.  Allen.  In  one  of  his  speeches  he  said  :  "I  have  recently  read 
a  production  of  his  [Allen's]  entitled  '^Resistance  to  Slavery  every 


REMINISCENCES.  IO3 

was  instigated  by  Leonard  Woods,  the  elder,  who 
hoped  that  by  this  method  his  more  brilhant  suc- 
cessor in  the  chair  of  Christian  Theology  might  be 
ousted,  I  wrote  in  reply  my  ''Andover  Ficss."  This 
pamphlet  created  quite  a  ripple  of  excitement  in 
Orthodox  circles.  The  pith  of  the  charge  against 
Professor  Park  was,  that  he  neither  believed  nor 
taught  the  doctrine  of  Original  Sin  ;  but  this  was  a 
pretext  to  outwardly  justify  an  attack  really  influ- 
enced by  jealousy  of  his  superior  abilities  and  ge- 
nius. Dr.  Woods  was  the  responsible  party.  In 
my  pamphlet  I  fully  exposed  the  thin  pretense  in 
the  charge  by  quoting  Dr.  Woods'  own  statements, 
previously  made  during  his  controversy  with  Dr. 
Ware,  the  Unitarian,  in  which  he  had  disavowed  for 
himself  and  the  Orthodox  of  New  England,  a  belief 
in  Original  Sin.  This  expose  was  very  unpalatable 
to  Dr.  Woods  and  his  friends,  and  some  ill  feeling 
was  engendered. 

A  few  months  after  the  publication  of  my  pamph- 


Man's  Duty,'  with  admiration  and  delight.     Here  his  own  powers 
answered  to  the  grandeur  of  his  cause." 


I04  REMINISCENCES. 

let,  I  was  introduced  to  Dr.  Woods  at  a  meeting  in 
Boston.  He  said:  "I  have  had  the  honor  of  being 
noticed  by  you  before ;  but  I  forgive  you."  I  was 
indignant,  and  rephed  :  "You  have  reason  to  be 
thankful  that  I  spared  you  so  mercifully." 

Protest  at  Plymouth. 

When  I  offered  my  protest  at  Plymouth^  against 
the  re-affirmance  of  the  Westminster  Catechism,  I 
was  interrupted  by  cries  of  "shut  up,"  "hold  your 
tonorue,"  and  other  discourteous  exclamations  ;  and 


*The  National  Council  of  Congregational  Churches  convened 
at  Boston,  June  14,  1865,  and  continued  in  session  ten  da3's.  Mr. 
Allen  attended  as  a  delegate  from  Worcester.  On  the  22nd  of 
June  the  Council  proceeded  to  Plymouth,  and  on  "Burial  Hill," 
overlooking  Plymouth  Rock,  adopted  a  Declaration  of  Faith  which 
had  previously  been  debated  and  fixed  upon.  This  Declaration 
was  objectionable  to  Mr.  Allen,  as  it  "re-affirmed  the  absurdities  of 
the  old  theology  believed  by  no  one  at  the  present  day"  ;  and  he 
presented  the  following  protest,  which  was  accepted  and  ordered 
to  be  placed  on  the  minutes  of  the  Council : 

"Standing  over  the  ashes  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  and  on  the  summit  of 
this  hill  consecrated  to  their  memory,  I  solemnly  protest  against  the  adoption 
of  the  paper  here  and  now  presented,  as  being  too  sectarian  for  their  cath- 
olic spirit,  and  too  narrow  to  comprehend  the  breadth  of  their  principles  of 
religious  freedom." 


REMINISCENCES.  IO5 

when  I  had  finished  my  remarks,  one  minister  said, 
with  a  sneer:  "I  hope  you  feel  better  now."  1  re- 
pHed  :  "I  should  feel  worse  if  I  had  not  performed 
my  duty." 

Concerning  Religion. 

I  do  not  believe  that  original  sin,  election  or  pre- 
destination have  any  place  in  the  Christian  Religion. 
The  translations  that  give  color  to  these  absurdities 
are  foul  upon  the  face.  I  have  conferred  with  many 
clergymen  in  regard  to  these  matters,  and  have  not 
found  one  among  those  capable  of  understanding 
the  grammatical  structure  of  the  original,  who  re- 
fused to  acknowledge  the  palpable  errors  in  the 
popular  version  of  the  Scriptures.  Yet  they  con- 
tinue to  preach  the  same  old  way.  It  is  often  said  / 
that  nobody  believes  these  old  doctrines  to-day. 
Why,  then,  subscribe  to  them  ? 

I  do  not  like  to  have  young  people  listen  to  a 
man  like  Robert  G.  Ingersoll.  His  pathos,  ridicule 
and  power  of  rhetoric  may  cause  them  to  overlook 


I06  REMINISCENCES. 

the  principles  of  the  Christian  reHgion,  while  he 
points  out  the  errors  which  ignorance  has  associated 
with  it.  There  Is  no  foundation  for  the  doctrine 
that  man  is  by  nature  depraved  ;  and  Original  Sin 
Is  a  fiction.  All  this  nonsense  is  due  to  foul  and 
imperfect  translations.  It  is  the  place  of  ministers 
in  the  pulpit,  rather  than  Ingersoll,  to  speak  in  con- 
demnation of  these  doctrines  which  shock  the  human 
feelings,  and  outrage  the  understanding.  They  are 
not  in  the  teachings  of  Jesus  Christ. 

It  may  appear  strange  that  pain  should  be  inflict- 
ed by  the  Almighty  as  a  means  of  bringing  forth 
good,  when  every  effort  of  humanity  is  to  alleviate 
distress  and  suffering.  We  cannot  comprehend  this 
until  we  can  comprehend  infinity.  We  lessen  pain 
and  trouble  by  bearing  them  with  patience  and  for- 
titude. 

The  reason  why  genius  is  generally  attended  with 
sufferlnor  ^vlll  not  be  unfolded  to  us  until  we  can 
comprehend  all  the  phenomena  of  the  human  mind. 
Adversity  strengthens  and  brings  out  the  character. 


REMINISCENCES.  IO7 

Sensitive  and  refined  minds  are  best  fitted  to  en- 
counter the  trials  of  this  world  :  those  of  stronger 
animal  temperament  break  down  under  them. 

My  idea  of  omnipotence  in  the  Deity  is  not  that 
he  can  perform  impossibilities,  or  overturn  a  fixed 
principle  or  law.  The  popular  understanding  is 
contrary  to  this. 

In  preaching  I  never  exhorted  ;  I  always  appealed 
to  the  intelligence  of  my  hearers.  In  no  other  way 
can  a  lasting  impression  be  made. 

In  the  new  version  of  the  Scriptures  now  being 
made,  I  think  much  must  be  eliminated  or  materially 
changed.  A  truthful  version  will  not  render  the 
passages  in  relation  to  the  depravity  of  mankind  in 
that  manner  which  has  heretofore  made  them  appear 
so  inconsistent  with  the  mercy  and  goodness  of  God. 
But  one  century  plant  blooms  much  like  another ; 
and  I  suppose  we  shall  see  the  old  errors  again  per- 
petuated. 


I08  REMINISCENCES. 

In  the  revised  New  Testament  many  of  the  fa- 
mihar  passages  have  been  robbed  of  their  beauty, 
subhmity  and  force  ;  and  I  think  rightfully.  Wrong 
sentiments  have  been  fostered,  and  erroneous  con- 
ceptions perpetuated  by  these  elements  of  attrac- 
tion ;  and  it  is  well  that  they  are  broken  up.* 

Literary  and  Historical  Criticisms. 

Several  histories  have  repeated  the  story,  as  an 
illustration  of  old-time  bigotry,  that  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Brimsmeadf  of  Marlborough,  and  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Sherman  J  of  Sudbury,  refused  to  baptize  children 
who  were  born  on  the  Sabbath.  The  truth  is,  that 
they  only  refused  to  baptize  them  on  the  day  they 
were  born,  as  it  was  then  the  custom  to  carry  the 
infant  immediately  to  church,  if  born  on  Sunday, 
frequently  to  its  detriment.     Dr.  Franklin  and  Sam- 


*  These  criticisms  on  the  Revised  Version  were  made,  one  be- 
fore, the  other  after  the  pubHcation  of  the  Netu  Testament.  Many 
of  the  changes  were  predicted  by  Mr.  Allen. 

t  Rev.  William  Brimsmead,  minister  of  Marlborough,  1666-1701. 

I  Rev.  James  Sherman,  minister  of  Sudbury,  1677-1705. 


REMINISCENCES.  lOQ 

uel  Adams  were  baptized  on  the  day  of  their  birth  ; 
and  FrankHn  said  that  he  went  to  meeting  twice 
that  day — before  and  after  he  was  born. 

It  is  commonly  thought  that  irritable  persons  do 
not  live  as  long  as  those  of  placid  temperament ; 
but  Charles  Macklin,  the  actor,  who  took  the  prin- 
cipal part  in  a  play  at  the  age  of  98,  and  died  at 
107,  was  a  very  irritable  man.  John  Adams  was 
another  exception  to  the  rule. 

Cowper  is  one  of  the  examples  of  genius  under 
great  suffering.  He  exerted  a  great  and  good  in- 
fluence over  his  age.  His  John  Gilpin  is  said  to 
have  caused  him  a  great  deal  of  mortification  in  af- 
ter years  ;  but  we  cannot  say  that  it  has  affected 
others  so.  It  is  a  remarkable  production,  original 
and  witty. 

I  do  not  think  highly  of  Cowper's  Homer.  The 
poet  was  trammeled  in  trying  to  make  the  trans- 
lation absolutely  literal.  The  Edinburgh  Review 
characterized  it  as  Homer's  dead  body  dug  up.      It 


no  REMINISCENCES. 

lacked  the  spirit  of  the  original.  Pope,  on  the  other 
hand,  preserved  that,  although  his  translation  is  not 
literally  true. 

The  oath  formerly  taken  in  Massachusetts  to  the 
effect  that  the  party  owed  no  allegiance  to  the  Pope 
or  any  foreign  potentate,  I  have  traced,  in  substance, 
back  to  the  time  of  Charles  the  second.  I  found  it 
in  Rushworth's  works.  Roger  Williams,  while  he 
,  allowed  freedom  of  worship  to  all,  denied  to  Roman 
i  Catholics  the  right  to  vote,  on  the  ground  that  they 
were  subjects  of  a  foreign  government. 

If  Charles  James  Fox  said  that  he  could  not  for- 
give  Milton  for  having  occasioned  him  the  trouble 
of  reading  Paradise  Lost,  "three  parts  of  which  were 
not  worth  reading,"  he  was  unconscious  of  what  he 
had  lost.  Dr.  Johnson  said  that  "Milton  sometimes 
descended  to  the  elegant :  he  was  always  sublime." 
This  is  perhaps  the  reason  why  many  persons  can- 
not appreciate  him  who  are  sensible  of  the  qualities 
of  other  poets  of  genius. 


REMINISCENCES.  I  I  I 

I  think  Jefferson  was  a  thoroughly  dishonest  man. 
He  was  made  President  by  the  prestige  derived  from 
his  Declaration  of  Independence  ;  and,  although  he 
stands  well  with  the  American  people  to-day,  his 
fame  is  on  the  wane.  Both  he  and  Madison  favored 
the  creation  of  a  navy  during  the  administration  of 
Washington  ;  but  no  sooner  did  John  Adams,  after 
he  became  President,  lay  the  keels  of  some  seventy- 
fours,  than  they  opposed  it  with  the  pretext  of  econ- 
omy. It  was  the  deliberate  purpose  of  Jefferson,  I 
think,  to  destroy  the  commerce  of  the  North  ;  and 
this  was  part  of  the  scheme  of  Napoleon.  Monroe 
was  Minister  to  France  at  this  time,  and  probably 
became  a  tool  in  the  hands  of  that  wily  genius.  If 
there  was  ever  an  honest  party  in  politics,  it  was  / 
the  old  Federal  party. 

I  am  not  certain  that  Burke  was  right  in  his  views 
concerning  the  French  Revolution,  or  that  he  can  be 
justified  in  abandoning  his  former  associates.  In  the 
American  Revolution  the  people  were  struggling 
for   constitutional    riohts— Webster   said    it    was    a 


112  REMINISCENCES. 

seven  years'  war  for  principle.  In  the  French  Rev- 
olution the  majority  of  the  revolutionists  cared  little 
for  the  right — murder  and  rapine  were  their  meth- 
ods. Burke  probably  came  to  a  logical  conclusion 
in  his  own  mind,  that  there  was  no  inconsistency  in 
his  supporting  the  one  and  opposing  the  other. 

The  season  of  Whiteheld's  first  visit  was  a  trying 
one  to  the  churches  and  people  of  this  country — 
friendships  were  broken  and  families  estranged  ;  and 
the  religious  unity  was  forever  destroyed.  White- 
field  was,  on  one  of  his  visits  to  Boston,  the  guest  of 
my  grandfather ;  and  my  father  and  uncle  Samuel 
remembered  him  distinctly.  His  powers  as  an 
orator  were  wonderful.  Garrick  said  he  would  give 
a  thousand  pounds  if  he  could  say  "O"  like  White- 
field.  Samuel  Adams,  in  view  of  the  degeneracy 
of  the  times,  used  to  exclaim :  "O,  for  another 
Whitefield  or  another  earthquake  ! " 

Whitefield  had  a  cast  in  his  eye,  and  figured  as 
'' D7\  Squintum'"  in  one  of  Foote's  comedies.  He 
was  an  enormous  eater. 


REMINISCENCES.  II3 

Power  of  expression  depends  not  so  much  upon 
the  moral  sense  as  upon  the  intellectual  perception. 
This  we  see  exemplified  in  Byron  and. others  of  his 
class. 

Retrospect. 

Constitutional  bashfulness  has  been  a  great  draw- 
back to  me  all  through  my  life.  As  a  child  my 
mother  would  never  send  me  of  an  errand  on  that 
account.  When  I  preached  my  first  sermon,  I  was 
in  a  tremor  throughout  its  delivery ;  and  I  have 
something  of  that  feeling  now  when  I  speak  in  pub- 
lic,     I  doubt  that  it  is  ever  fully  outgrown. 

Although  never  of  full  habit,  or  apparently  strong, 
I  excelled  during  my  youth  in  the  athletic  sports.  I 
was  a  good  swimmer,  an  agile  climber,  and  the 
swiftest  runner  iamong  the  students  in  college. 

I  never  had  ambition  in  the  sense  that  that  term 
is  commonl)-  understood,  I  desired  to  be  useful. 
I  preferred  to  remain  in  a  small  town  like  Shrews- 


114  REMINISCENCES. 

bury,  as  there  I  had  leisure,  aside  from  my  minis- 
terial duties,  for  study  and  recreation. 

My  relish  for  literature  is  keener  now"^  than  ever. 
My  sight  began  to  fail  at  the  age  of  thirty ;  and  for 
the  last  twenty  years  I  have  not  been  able  to  read 
at  all.  Most  of  the  English  classics  I  read  more 
than  fifty  years  ago,  yet  they  are  fresh  in  my  mind  ; 
and  I  can  repeat  pages  of  Milton,  Shakspeare, 
Young,  Cowper  and  others.  I  never  made  any  ef- 
fort to  commit  them  to  memory. 

I  never  could  bear  to  see  any  exhibition  of  the 
aristocratic  feeling.  A  bias  in  that  direction  seems 
to  blight  a  man's  practical  usefulness  in  this  world. 
It  always  excited  my  indignation  to  see  persons 
slighted  because  they  were  poor  or  of  lowly  condi- 
tion, and  1  felt  it  my  duty  to  champion  their  cause. 

I  was  never  in  a  theater ;  never  went  to  a  circus, 
and  but  once  to  a  dance  ;  and  I  never  visited  the 
city  of  Washington. 

*  1879. 


REMINISCENCES.  II5 

I  once  formed  the  habit  of  smoking,  but  abjured 
it  in  18 10.  No  spirituous  hquor  has  passed  my  Hps 
for  fifty  years. 

I  have,  during  my  hfe,  encountered  a  great  deal 
of  opposition  and  personal  prejudice  ;  but  time  has 
adjusted  it.     I  have  outlived  it  all. 


PUBLISHED  WRITINGS. 


PUBLISHED  WRITINGS. 


N.  B.  This  List  of  the  Published  Writings  of  Mr.  Allen  does  not  include 
those  which  were  printed  in  connection  with  other  matter;  but  only  such  as 
have  appeared  separately.  Many  minor  productions  published  as  letters, 
memorials,  broadsides,  etc.,  are  not  mentioned  here. 

1  The  Moral  Providence  of  God.  A  Sermon  delivered  in 

Shrewsbury,  January  4,  1829.     By  George  Allen,  Pastor  of 
the  Congregational  Church  and  Society  in   Shrewsbury. 
Published  by  Request.     Worcester:   M.   Spooner,   Printer. 
1829.     ])p.  19. 

2  An  Address  to  the  Freemen  of  Massachusetts.    By  a  Freeman. 

Worcester:  M.  Spooner  and  Co.,  Printers.  1832.     pp.  16. 
\_Anti-masofuc.'] 

3  Thoughts  on  "The  Excitement"  in  reply  to  a  Letter  to  Hon. 

Edward  Everett.  First  published  in  the  National  .4£gis  and 
Massachusetts  Yeoman.  Worcester  :  Printed  by  Moses  W. 
Grout.     1833.     pp.  44-      iAnfi-masonic.'] 

4  Mr.  Allen's  Report  of  a  Declaration  of  Sentiments  on  Slavery, 

Dec.  5,  1837.  Worcester:  Printed  by  Henry  J.  Howland. 
1838.     pp.  12. 

5  Mr.  Allen's  Speech  on  Ministers  leaving  a  Moral  Kingdom  to 

bear  testimony  against  Sin  ;  Liberty  in  Danger  from  publi- 


I20  PUBLISHED    WRITINGS. 

cation  of  its  principles  ;  the  Constitution  a  Shield  for  Slavery  ; 
and  the  Union  better  than  Freedom  and  Righteousness. 
Boston  :  Published  by  Isaac  Knapp,  No.  25  Cornhill.  1838. 
pp.  46. 

6  Report  of  the  School  Committee  of  the  Town  of  Shrewsbury, 

offered  in  Town  Meeting,  April  i,  1839.  Printed  by  vote 
of  said  Town.  Worcester  :  Printed  by  Spooner  &  Rowland. 
1839.     pp.  16. 

7  The  Complaint  of  Mexico,  and  Conspiracy  against  Liberty. 

Boston  :  Published  by  J.  W.  Alden,  No.  7  Cornhill.  1843. 
pp.  44. 

8  Resistance  to  Slavery  every  Man's  Duty.     A  Report  on  Amer- 

ican Slavery  read  to  the  Worcester  Central  Association, 
March  2,  1847.  Boston  :  Wm.  Crosby  &  H.  P.  Nichols. 
No.  Ill  Washington  St.     1847.     PP-  4°- 

9  Remarks  on  the  Attack   of  the   "  Family  ^gis"   upon  Judge 

Allen.     1848.     pp.  8. 

10  The  x^ndover  Fuss  :  or  Dr.  Woods  versus  Dr.  Dana,  on  the 

Imputation  of  Heresy  against  Professor  Park,  respecting  the 
Doctrine  of  Original  Sin.    Boston  :  Tappan  and  Whittemore. 
1853-     PP-  Si- 
ll An  Address  to  the  Electors  of  the  Ninth  Congressional  District 
of  Massachusetts,     i860,     pp.  14. 

12  Historical  Remarks  concerning  the  Mechanic  Street  Burial 
Ground  in  the  City  of  Worcester,  offered  to  the  Joint  Com- 
mittee of  the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts,  March  14,  1878. 
By  Rev.  George  Allen  of  Worcester.  First  pubHshed  in 
numbers  in  the  Bay  State  Ledger,  July  and  August,  1846. 
Worcester:  Printed  by  Tyler  &  Seagrave.  1878.     pp.  17. 


INDEX. 


INDEX. 


Abbott,  Rev.  Jacob,  82. 

Rev.  John  S.  C.  81-83. 
Abolition  of  Slavery,  89. 
Adams,  John,  109. 

John  Quincy,  14,  85,  86. 

Rev.  Nehemiah,  94. 

Samuel,  9,  37,  108,  112. 

Rev.  Zabdiel,  81. 
Allen,  Hon.  Charles,  18,  92,  93,  97, 
98,  100. 

Rev.    George,       Biographical 
Sketch,  9-30. 

George,  Jr.,  13. 

James,  9. 

Hon.  Joseph,  9-1 1. 

Rev.  Dr.  Joseph,  81. 

Samuel,  9,  34. 
Alexander,  Archibald,  53. 
AUston,  Washington,  56. 
Ames,  Fisher,  56. 
Amherst  College,  48. 
Ancestry  of  George  Allen,  9,  36. 
"Andover  Fuss."  the,  102,  103. 
Anti-masonry,  14,  85. 
Archer,  Senator,  97. 
Austin,  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel,  74. 
Avery,  Rev.  Joseph,  9. 


Badger,  George  E.,  13.  49,  52. 
Bagley,  Anderson,  52. 
Baldwin.  Roger  Sherman,  52. 
Bancroft,  Rev.  Dr.  Aaron,  46.  81. 

George,  38,  47,  67. 
Bangs,  Judge,  47. 
Bidwell,  Barnabas.  61. 
Blake,  Francis,  43,  70. 
Boardman,  Rev.  John.  80. 
Brazer,  Samuel,  46. 
Briggs,  George  N.,  93. 
Brimsmead,  Rev.  William,  108. 
Brinley,  George,  95. 
Bromfield,  Mr.,  39. 
Buckingham,  Joseph  T.,  45. 

Rev.  Dr.  S.  G.,    Remarks  at 
Funeral,  22-27. 
Burchard,  Jedediah,  61-63. 
Burges.  Tristam.  43. 
Burke,  Edmund.  III. 
Burr,  Aaron,  35,  62.  72. 
Burritt,  Elihu.  96. 

Butler,  Benjamin  F.,  of  N.  Y.  13,  60. 
Byron,  the  poet,  113. 


Calhoun,  John  C,  53. 


124 


INDEX. 


Channing,  William  Ellery.  87. 
Chaplin.  Rev.  Ebenezer.  79. 
Chase,  Salmon  P..  lOO. 
Chester,  Rev.  D..  60. 
Choate,  Rufus.  92. 
Class  at  Yale.  49. 
Clay.  Henry,  54. 
Clayton,  John  M..  50,  54. 
Clinton.  De  Witt.  64. 
"Complaint  of  Mexico,"  53.  91. 
Cowper,  the  poet,  109. 
Criticisms,  Literary,  etc..  108. 
Cummings.  Hooper.  65. 
"  Cunning  John  Fox,"  54. 
Curtis.  David.  34. 

George  William,  34. 


Dana,  Francis.  39. 

Richard  H..  40. 

Rev.  Dr..  102. 
Davis,  John.  12,  50.  54,  55.  97. 

Matthew  L..  73. 
Day.  Eunice,  34. 
Dedication,  3. 

Devereux,  Thomas  P..  12.  50.  52. 
Dexter,  Samuel.  44. 
"  Doctor  Squintum."  112. 

E 

Early  Years,  ;i;i. 
East  Rock,  57. 
Eaton,  William,  48. 
Edwards,  Jonathan.  94. 

Pierrepont.  56.  57.  73. 
Ellery,  William.  58. 
"Emancipator."  the,  53. 


Emmet,  Thomas  A.,  63. 

Everett,  Edward.  38,  85.  86,  92.  96. 


"  Farmer's  Letters,"  71. 

"Farmer  Lincoln,"  71. 

"  Father  Morris,"  original  of,  79. 

Fillmore,  Millard.  97. 

Fisher,  Alexander  ^L.  50. 

Fox.  Charles  James,  no. 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  39.  108. 

G 

Garrick  the  actor.  112. 
Garrison,  William  Lloyd,  90. 
Giddings,  Joshua  R.,  99-101. 
"Godward  a  good  man,"  69. 
Gofie,  Rev.  Joseph,  77. 
Goffe  and  Whalley,  58. 
Goodrich,  Rev.  Charles  .\.,  66. 

Chauncey  A.,  53. 

Samuel  G.,  66. 
Granger,  Francis,  50. 

Gideon,  51. 
Gray,  WilHam,  89. 
Great  Gale  of  18 15.  59. 
Greenwood  the  artist.  55. 

H 

Hale.  John  P..  98.  100. 
Hamilton's  duel  with  Burr.  35. 
Hartford  Convention,  69. 
Harvey,  Peter,  92. 
Hat  ruined  by  R.  H.  Dana,  40. 
Heard,  Gen.  Nathan.  12. 
Homer,  translations  of,  109,  no. 
"  Honest  John  Davis,"  54. 


INDEX. 


125 


Houghton.  Rev.  William  A.,  remarks 

at  funeral,  27. 
Howe.  Rev.  Nathanael,  76. 

I 

Ingersoll.  Robert  G.,  105. 


Jay,  Peter  A.,  63. 

Jefferson,  President,  61,  71.  III. 

"John  Gilpin,"  109. 

Johnson,  Dr.,  1 10. 

"Judges'  Cave,"  58. 

K 

Kane,  Elias  K..  50. 
Kent,  Chancellor,  65. 
Kingsbury,  Dorothy,  mother  of  Geo, 
Allen.  1 1. 


Lafayette.  89. 

Lamson,  Rev.  C.  M.,  22. 

Lanman.  Charles  J.,  50. 

Lathrop,  Rev.  Dr..  81. 

Lawrence,  Abbott.  55,  96,  97. 

Leavitt.  Joshua.  50.  53. 

Leicester  Academy.    10.   12.  35,  4: 

72- 
"  Lil)erator."  the,  90. 
Lincoln,  Governor.  71,  97. 

William.  42,  71. 
Lincolns,  the,  70-72. 
Lincoln's  History  of  Worcester,  42. 
Litchfield,  Conn.,  56. 
"  Little  Peter  the  Great."  81. 
Longstreet.  Augustus  B..  12. 


Louisiana,  purchase  of,  71. 
Lovering,  Rev.  J.  F..  22,  28. 

M 

Macklin,  Charles,  109. 
Madison.  Dolly.  58. 

James,  III. 
Martineau,  Harriet,  87. 
"Massachusetts  Spy,"  44. 
"  Massachusetts    wears    no    chains," 

19.  98. 
May,  Rev.  Samuel.  89. 
Mellen.  Judge,  93. 
Mills,  Rev.  Edmund,  75^ 

Rev.  Samuel  J.,  79. 
Milton,  the  poet.  no. 
Ministry  at  Shrevvsliury,  73. 
Mitchell,  Elisha.  12,  57. 
Monroe,  James,  in. 
Moore,  Zephaniah  Swift,  12.  48. 
Morgan,  murder  of,  85. 
Morse.  Samuel  F.  B.,  50. 
Morton,  Marcus.  93. 
"Mother  at  Home."  82. 
Mower.  Ephraim.  36. 

Thomas  Gardner,  35, 

N 

Napoleon.  35.  83.  87.  89.  in. 
Nash.  Rev.  William,  80. 
"National  ^-Egis."  68. 
"National  Era,"  100. 
Nelson,  Rev.  Dr.  John.  76. 
Nelson,  death  of,  35. 
New  Haven,  incidents  at.  57. 
"Noah's  doves."  54. 


126 


INDEX. 


Nott,  Eliphalet,  65. 
Nutmegs,  price  of,  62. 

O 

Olmsted,  Denison,  12,  50,  53. 
Otis,  Harrison  Gray.  65. 


Packard,  Rev.  Asa,  75. 

Park,  Rev.  Dr.  E.  A.,  102. 

Parsons,  Theophilus,  39-41,  43,  47, 

81. 
Peckham,  Robert,  94. 
Percival,  James  G.,  50. 
"Pen  Portraits,"  99. 
"  Peter  Parley,"  66. 
Phelps,  Samuel  S.,  50,  51. 
Phillips,  Rev.  G.  W.,  28. 

Wendell,  91. 
Pickering,  Timothy,  48. 
Pierpont,  Rev.  John,  56. 
Pitkin,  Eliza,  wife  of  Geo.  Allen,   12. 
Pitkin  Family,  36. 
"Plato,  thou  reasonest  well,"  57. 
Pope's  Homer,  no. 
Portrait  of,  George  Allen,  58. 

William  Eaton,  49. 

Roger  Sherman,  55. 

Dr.  Sumner,  55. 

Isaiah  Thomas,  45. 

Washington,  55. 

Peter  Whitney,  55. 

John  G.  Whittier,  94. 

Peter  Willard,  70. 
Potter,  Alonzo,  64. 
Preface,  5. 
Prentiss,  Charles.  49. 


Protest  at  Plymouth,  104. 
Published  writings,  1 19. 
Puffer,  Rev.  Dr.  Reuben,  75. 


Quincy,  Josiah,  Jr.,  75. 

R 

Randolph,  John,  43,  58. 

Red  Jacket,  72. 

Religion,  concerning,  105. 

"  Resistance  to  Slavery  every  Man's 

Duty,"  102. 
"  Resistance  to  tyrants   obedience  to 

God,  58. 
Resolution  of  1848,  19,  98. 
Retrospect,  113. 
Revised  Version   of    the   Scriptures, 

107,  108. 
Rice,  Elijah.  84. 
Robbins,  Dr.  Thomas,  67. 
Robinson,  William  S.,  99. 
Rockwood,  Rev.  Elisha,  80. 
Rum  at  Funerals,  84. 
Russell,  Benjamin.  46. 


Savage,  the  painter,  55. 
Schenectady,  at,  64. 
Scott,  Gen..  83. 
Shelden,  William,  45. 
Sherman,  Rev.  James.  108. 

Koger,  55. 
Shumvvay,  Henry  L.,  79. 
Slavery,  abolition  of,  89. 
"  South  Side  View,"  94. 
Stearns.  Dr.  Samuel,  45. 


INDEX. 


127 


Stedman,  William.  58. 
Stiles,  Jeremiah,  69. 
Stone,  Benjamin,  42. 
Story,  Joseph,  52. 
Stowe,  Rev.  C.  E.,  94. 

Mrs.,  79. 
Sumner,  Charles,  86,  97,  icx)-i02. 

Rev.  Dr.  Joseph,  13,  74. 


Texas,  annexation  of,  86. 
Tippecanoe,  battle  of,  36. 
Thomas,  Isaiah,  44-46. 
Thompson,  Rev.  James.  77. 
Tolman,  Albert,  99. 
Tompkins,  Daniel  D.,  61,  64. 
Trafalgar,  battle  of,  35. 
Trask,  Rev.  George,  76. 
"True  Grandeur  of  Nations,"  loi. 


Van  Buren,  John,  60. 

Martin,  13,  59,  63. 
Van  Rensselaer,  Stephen,  64. 
Van  Schaack,  Peter,  63. 

W 

Waldos,  the,  68,  69. 
Walker,  Adam,  36. 
Ward,  Artemas,  39,  41-43. 


Ward,  Henry  Dana.  92. 
"Warrington,"  99. 
Washington,  ^;i,  42. 
Wayland,  Francis,  64. 
Webster,  Daniel,  52,  53,  91,  in. 

Noah,  53. 
Wells,  Samuel  A.,  37. 

William  v.,  38. 
West  Rock,  58. 
Whalley,  the  regicide,  58. 
White,  William  Charles,  67. 
Whitefield,  112. 
Whitney,  Rev.  Peter,  81. 
Whittier,  John  G.,  94. 
Wight,  the  artist,  loi. 
Wilder,  S.  V.  S.,  88,  89. 
Williams,  Roger,  1 10. 
Wilson,  Henry,  loi. 
Wisner,  Rev.  B.  B.,  64. 
Wolcott  Family,  36. 
Wood,  the  artist,  58. 
Woods,  Rev.  Dr.  Leonard,    103,  104. 
Worcester,  Joseph  E.,  50,  51. 
Worcester  Society  of  Antiquity,    3, 
7O'  79- 


Yale  College  Reminiscences,  49-58. 
Yates,  Rev.  Dr.  Andrew,  13,  64. 


